<P> Although fingerprint characteristics were studied as far back as the mid-1600s , the use of fingerprints as a means of identification did not occur until the mid-19th century . In roughly 1859 , Sir William James Herschel discovered that fingerprints remain stable over time and are unique across individuals ; as Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly district in Jungipoor , India , in 1877 he was the first to institute the use of fingerprints and handprints as a means of identification , signing legal documents , and authenticating transactions . The fingerprint records collected at this time were used for one - to - one verification only ; as a means in which records would be logically filed and searched had not yet been invented . </P>
<P> Although fingerprint characteristics were studied as far back as the mid-1600s , the use of fingerprints as a means of identification did not occur until the mid-19th century . In roughly 1859 , Sir William James Herschel discovered that fingerprints remain stable over time and are unique across individuals ; as Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly district in Jungipoor , India , in 1877 he was the first to institute the use of fingerprints and handprints as a means of identification , signing legal documents , and authenticating transactions . The fingerprint records collected at this time were used for one - to - one verification only ; as a means in which records would be logically filed and searched had not yet been invented . </P>
who is credited with developing the first classification system for fingerprints
who is credited with developing the first classification system for fingerprints
Sir William James Herschel
Sir William James Herschel