William Moulton Marston, a pioneer in developing the lie detector American psychologist William Moulton Marston (seated, right) using the systolic blood pressure deception test, an early version of the lie detector, to check the pulse and blood pressure of James Alphonso Frye (center, wearing a white shirt) in 1926. The photo is a reenactment of Marston's use of the test in 1922 when Frye was on trial for the murder of Robert Brown in Washington, D.C. Marston's test results conveyed that Frye was telling the truth when he stated during an interrogation that he did not kill Brown. However, the results of the new technology were deemed inadmissible in court. (more) William Moulton Marston American psychologist Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Moulton-Marston Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Charles Moulton Written by Nick Tabor Nick Tabor is a freelance journalist and the author of Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. Nick Tabor Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Apr 3, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Quick Facts Pen name: Charles Moulton (Show more) Born: May 9, 1893, Cliftondale, Massachusetts, U.S. (Show more) Died: May 2, 1947, Rye, New York (aged 53) (Show more) { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Who was the model for the character Wonder Woman? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The model for Wonder Woman is believed to have been William Moulton Marstonu2019s wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was William Moulton Marstonu2019s contribution to lie detector research? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "William Moulton Marston conducted experiments to determine whether systolic blood pressure could detect lying, which inspired the development of the polygraph machine." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was unique about William Moulton Marstonu2019s personal life? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "William Moulton Marston had a polyamorous relationship with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and Olive Byrne, one of his former students. He had two children with each woman." } } ] } Top Questions Who was the model for the character Wonder Woman? The model for Wonder Woman is believed to have been William Moulton Marston’s wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston.

　　What was William Moulton Marston’s contribution to lie detector research? William Moulton Marston conducted experiments to determine whether systolic blood pressure could detect lying, which inspired the development of the polygraph machine.

　　What was unique about William Moulton Marston’s personal life? William Moulton Marston had a polyamorous relationship with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and Olive Byrne, one of his former students. He had two children with each woman.

　　William Moulton Marston(born May 9, 1893, Cliftondale, Massachusetts, U.S.—died May 2, 1947, Rye, New York) was an American psychologist who is best remembered for his contributions to two distinct fields: psychology and comic books. His work led to the invention of an early prototype of the lie detector test, which was developed from ideas Marston formulated with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston. He also created the comic book character Wonder Woman, the model for which is believed to have been his wife. Marston’s father, Frederick William Marston, was a merchant who sold fabric for men’s suits. His mother, Annie Dalton ...(100 of 1278 words)

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