Leaving the idea of expansion into Europe, Western Union took up the expansion of services in the U.S. market. The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services In 1849, Selden and Sibley, the founders of the future Western Union, created the New York State Printing Telegraph Company. In 1856, in 7 years after the foundation of New York State Printing Telegraph Company, the company changed its name to Western Union Telegraph Company.