Western Union is the United States based company, operating in the spheres of communication and financial services. The company’s North American head office is situated in Englewood, Colorado.

Western Union offers various products in the area of money transfers, business payments, business services, money orders, prepaid and commercial services, etc. Until 2006, the company was known as one of the American leaders in the telegrams exchanging business, but now Western Union discontinues this service.

The company owns more than 500,000 Western Union locations that can be found in more than two hundred countries and has about 8,800 employees, including its agents.

Western Union serves its customers from agent locations, by phone and online.

Landmarks in the History of Western Union

Western Union has 160-year history that is full of important events and great achievements.

• 1851 – Hiram Sibley with other investors organizes New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company, the predecessor of Western Union, in Rochester, New York.
• 1856 – The company’s name is changed to Western Union Telegraph Company, the brand that merges several lines of the telegraph system of the USA.
• 1861 - Western Union launches the first North American transcontinental telegraph line.
• 1865 – Russian American Telegraph is founded. The project is meant to connect Europe and America, via Alaska and Siberia, but later it is abandoned.
• 1869 – The company introduces its first stock symbol.
• 1871 - Western Union offers money transferring, based on the telegraph network.
• 1876 – Western Union’s capitalization reaches more than million.
• 1879 – The company goes out of telephone business.
• 1881 – Jay Gould acquires control of the company.
• 1884 - Western Union is one of the first eleven U.S. companies to get the Dow Jones index.
• 1896 - Western Union locations are opened in North America, South America, Europe, Northern Africa, Asia and Africa.
• 1900 – The total length of Western Union’s telegraph lines is about one million miles.
• 1914 – The company introduces its customer charge card.
• 1924 - Western Union joins teletypewriters to its branches.
• 1933 – The company offers singing telegrams.
• 1943 - Western Union is the first company to provide microwave communication technology for commercial usage.
• 1963 – The company organizes Western Union International which is later sold to American Security.
• 1985 - Western Union locations in NYC offer Telex service.
• 1974 – The company pioneers the first American commercial satellite.
• 1976 – The company partners with E.F. Hutton & Co.
• 1980 – It is the first year when revenue from money transfer exceeds revenue from telegram service.
• 1981 - Western Union acquires a 50% share in Airfone.
• 1986 – The company sells Airphone to GTE.
• 1987 – Bennett LeBow takes control of the company.
• 1993 - Western Union starts offering prepaid disposal phone cards.
• 2001 – The number of Western Union locations exceeds 100,000 worldwide.
• 2006 - Western Union discontinues telegrams exchanging service, but it is still available in the USA through some other companies, such as iTelegram.
• 2009 - Western Union acquires Custom House and renames it Western Union Business Solutions.
• 2010 – Hikmet Ersel becomes the president of Western Union.
• 2011 – The Company purchases Angelo Costa, a company providing money services and transfer to immigrants via more than 7,500 locations in many European countries.
• 2011 - Western Union buys Global Business Payments branch of Travelex.

Western Union Services

Nowadays Western Union offers its customers a number of services. The official Western Union website gives the possibility to send money to other users, receive it from others, acquire gift cards, pay different bills, etc.

One can still send or receive funds in Western Union locations. In order to send money, one has to go to an office, present money, pay fees and provide the necessary information. Fees are different and depend on the type of transfer that the sender chooses and the receiver’s country.

You will easily find the nearest Western Union location, using the online locator with simple interface.