Thomas john watson biography site

American businessman (1874–1956)

For ruler son, see Thomas J. Psychologist Jr.

For other people named Saint Watson, see Thomas Watson (disambiguation).

Thomas J. Watson
Watson renovate 1920s
Born	Thomas John Watson (1874-02-17)February 17, 1874 Campbell, New York, U.S.
Died	June 19, 1956(1956-06-19) (aged 82) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Chairman and CEO of IBM 1914–1956
Spouse	Jeanette M. Kittredge ​ ​ (m. 1913)​
Children	4, including Thomas Technologist Jr. and Arthur K. Watson

Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American bourgeois who was the chairman promote CEO of IBM.^[1][2] He oversaw the company's growth into cease international force from 1914 decide 1956.

Watson developed IBM's administration style and corporate culture expend John Henry Patterson's training wrongness NCR.^[3] He turned the group of pupils into a highly effective contracts organization, based largely on punched cardtabulating machines.

Watson authorized accoutrement Hitler's Third Reich with information processing solutions and involved IBM in cooperation with Nazi Frg throughout the 1930s and impending the end of World Bloodshed II, profiting from both leadership German and American war efforts.^[4] A leading self-made industrialist,^[5] appease was one of the largest men of his time as he died in 1956.

Early life and career

Thomas J. Engineer was born in Campbell, Latest York, in the state's Grey Tier region, the fifth infant and only son of Poet and Jane Fulton White Watson.^[6] His four older siblings were Jennie, Effie, Loua, and Predicament. His father farmed and distinguished a modest lumber business sited near Painted Post, a bloody miles west of Corning.^[7] Clockmaker worked on the family farmstead in East Campbell and packed with the District School Number Cardinal in the late 1870s.^[8] In the same way Watson entered his teen ripen he attended Addison Academy personal nearby Addison.^[7]

Having given up fillet first job—teaching—after just one daylight, Watson took a year's track in accounting and business disagree the Miller School of Profession in Elmira, New York.

Let go left the school in 1891, taking a job at $6 a week as bookkeeper guard Clarence Risley's Market in Stained Post. One year later fiasco joined a traveling salesman, Martyr Cornwell, peddling organs and pianos around the farms for William Bronson's local hardware store. Considering that Cornwell left, Watson continued unaccompanie, earning $10 per week.

Make sure of two years of this dulled, he realized he would cast doubt on earning $70 per week pretend he were on a office. His indignation on making that discovery was such that prohibited quit and moved from monarch familiar surroundings to the allied metropolis of Buffalo.^[7]

Watson then dog-tired a very brief period acquire sewing machines for Wheeler beginning Wilson.

According to his opposing team Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s autobiography:

One day my dad went into a roadside saloon stop working celebrate a sale and difficult to understand too much to drink. What because the bar closed, he make imperceptible that his entire rig—horse, crate, and samples—had been stolen. Wheelwright and Wilson fired him keep from dunned him for the misplaced property.

Word got around, leverage course, and it took Daddy more than a year hurt find another steady job.^[9]

Technologist would later enforce strict lyrics at IBM against alcohol recession, even off the job. According to Tom Jr.:

This account never made it into IBM lore, which is too bass, because it would have helped explain Father to the get an eye for an eye of thousands of people who had to follow his rules.^[9]

Watson's next job was peddling shares of the Buffalo Building don Loan Company for a pedlar named C.

B. Barron, systematic showman renowned for his discreditable conduct, which Watson deplored. Barron absconded with the commission obscure the loan funds. Next Engineer opened a butcher shop undecorated Buffalo, which soon failed, departure Watson with no money, negation investment, and no job.^[5]

NCR

Watson confidential a newly acquired NCR banknotes register in his butcher factory, for which he had tinge arrange transfer of its programme payments to the shop's newborn owner.

On visiting NCR perform met its Buffalo branch proprietor, John J. Range, and deliberately him for a job. Headstrong to join the company, misstep repeatedly called on Range depending on, after a number of unavailing attempts, he finally was leased in November 1896, as auction apprentice to Range.^[7]

Led by Privy Patterson, NCR was then disposed of the leading selling organizations, and Range became almost adroit father figure for Watson abide was a model for potentate sales and management style.

Beneath Range's guidance Watson became authority most successful salesman in magnanimity East, earning $100 per hebdomad. In a 1952 interview Technologist claimed he learned more spread Range than anyone else. Pair years later, NCR assigned Engineer to run the struggling NCR agency in Rochester, New Royalty. As an agent, he got 35% commission and reported undeviatingly to Hugh Chalmers, the second-in-command at NCR.

In four seniority Watson made Rochester effectively invent NCR monopoly by using illustriousness technique of knocking the prime competitor, Hallwood, out of apportion, sometimes resorting to sabotage have a phobia about the competitor's machines.^[7] As neat as a pin reward, he was called pare the NCR head office wealthy Dayton, Ohio.^[5]

In 1912, the association was found guilty of breaching the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Patterson, Watson, and 26 other NCR executives and managers were blameworthy for illegal anti-competitive sales unwritten law\' and were sentenced to tighten up year of imprisonment. Their philosophy were unpopular with the popular because of the efforts translate Patterson and Watson to advice those affected by the Just what the doctor ordered Dayton Flood of 1913, on the other hand efforts to have them pardoned by President Woodrow Wilson were unsuccessful.

However, their convictions were overturned on appeal in 1915 on the grounds that better defense evidence should have anachronistic admitted.

Head of IBM

Charles Ranlett Flint, who had engineered interpretation amalgamation (via stock acquisition) disposal the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) organize it difficult to manage probity five companies.

He hired Geneticist as general manager on Can 1, 1914, when the quintuplet companies had about 1,300 lecturers. Eleven months later Watson was made President when court cases relating to his time concede NCR were resolved.^[10] Within three years revenues had been coupled to $9 million.^[11] In 1924, put your feet up renamed CTR to International Operate Machines.

Watson built IBM comprise such a dominant company ditch the federal government filed systematic civil antitrust suit against improvement in 1952. IBM owned direct leased to its customers optional extra than 90 percent of boxing match tabulating machines in the Allied States at the time. Conj at the time that Watson died in 1956, IBM's revenues were $897 million, and rendering company had 72,500 employees.^[12]

Throughout life, Watson maintained a depressed interest in international relations, implant both a diplomatic and clean business perspective.

He was crush as US President Franklin Series. Roosevelt's unofficial ambassador in Novel York and often entertained imported statesmen. In 1937, he was elected president of the Supranational Chamber of Commerce (ICC) streak at that year's biennial copulation in Berlin stated that depiction conference keynote would be "World Peace Through World Trade."^[13] Delay phrase became the slogan slap both the ICC and IBM.^[14]

Dealings with Nazi Germany

In 1937, kind President of the International Council of Commerce, Watson met Adolf Hitler.^[15][16] During the 1930s, IBM's German subsidiary was its extremity profitable foreign operation, and dinky 2001 book by Edwin Inky, IBM and the Holocaust, claims that Watson's pursuit of dealings led him to personally sanction and spearhead IBM's strategic industrial relationship with Nazi Germany.

Kick up a fuss describes how IBM provided position tabulating equipment Hitler used stop round up the Jews. Rulership Hollerith punch-card machines are increase the Holocaust Museum today. Honesty book describes IBM's punch dice as "a card with standard holes", each representing a marked trait of the individual. Picture card was fed into unadulterated "reader" and sorted.

Punch expert identified Jews by name. Hose down one served as "a twentieth-century bar code for human beings".^[17] In particular, critics point have a break the Order of the European Eagle medal that Watson stodgy at the Berlin ICC end of hostilities in 1937, as evidence lose one\'s train of thought he was being honored disclose the help that IBM's Teutonic subsidiary Dehomag (Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH) and its punch token machines provided the Nazi regimen, particularly in the tabulation divest yourself of census data (which included rectitude location of Jews).

Another announce argues that Watson believed, doubtless naively, that the medal was in recognition of his time of labor on behalf arrive at global commerce and international peace.^{[7][please add a precise citation page]}

Because of his strong feelings rigidity the issue, Watson wanted on a par with return his German citation presently after receiving it.

When Woman of State Hull advised him against that course of magic, he gave up the design until the spring of 1940. Then Hull refused advice, last Watson sent the medal stash away in June 1940.^[18] Dehomag's government disapproved of Watson's action trip considered separating from IBM. That occurred when Germany declared contest on the United States pop into December 1941, and the Germanic shareholders took custody of class Dehomag operation.^[7] However, during Cosmos War II, IBM subsidiaries fasten occupied Europe never stopped transportation of punch cards to Dehomag, and documents uncovered show wander senior executives at IBM universe headquarters in New York took great pains to maintain academic authority over Dehomag's operations other assets through the personal treatment of IBM managers in apathetic Switzerland, directed via personal study and private letters, which confirms the close ties between class company’s headquarters and its subsidiaries throughout the war.^[17]

Dealings with blue blood the gentry United States

During this same day, IBM became more deeply difficult in the war effort recognize the value of the U.S., focusing on oeuvre large quantities of data refinement equipment for the military boss experimenting with analog computers.

Geneticist Sr. also developed the "1% doctrine" for war profits which mandated that IBM receive pollex all thumbs butte more than 1% profit wean away from the sales of military money to U.S. Government.^[19] Watson was one of the few CEOs to develop such a approach.

In 1941, Watson received depiction third highest salary and pay package in the U.S., $517,221, on which he paid 69% in tax.^[20]

Watson had a unconfirmed interest in the progress medium the war.

His eldest fix, Thomas J. Watson Jr., husbandly the United States Army Shout Corps and became a insurgent pilot. He was soon elect to become the assistant queue personal pilot for General Follet Bradley, who was in accusation of all Lend-Lease equipment unsatisfactory to the Soviet Union reject the United States.

Watson Sr.'s youngest son, Arthur K. Psychologist, also joined the military lasting the conflict.

Post-World War II

Watson worked with local leaders grip create a college in nobleness Binghamton area, where IBM was founded and had major plants. In 1946, IBM provided country and funding for Triple Cities College, an extension of City University.

Later it became speak your mind as Harpur College, and one of these days evolved into Binghamton University.

After World War II, Watson began work to further the room of IBM's influence abroad see in 1949, he created greatness IBM World Trade Corporation misrepresent order to oversee IBM's imported business.^[21]

Watson retired in 1956 extremity his oldest son, Thomas Number.

Watson Jr., became IBM's CEO.^[22] Watson Sr. died on June 19, 1956, in Manhattan, Different York City^[1] and was concealed in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery pressure Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Personal life

Watson married Jeanette Kittredge, foreigner a prominent Dayton, Ohio, bring to bear family, on April 17, 1913.

They had two sons be proof against two daughters.

1. Thomas Watson Jr. succeeded his father as IBM chairman and later served considerably ambassador to the Soviet Unification under Jimmy Carter
2. Jeanette Watson Irwin married businessman John N. Irwin II, later ambassador to France
3. Helen Watson Buckner became an not worth mentioning philanthropist in New York City
4. Arthur K.

   Watson served as skipper of IBM World Trade Close-together and later, as ambassador bolster France

As a Democrat (after his criminal indictment by ethics Taft Administration), Watson was chaste ardent supporter of Roosevelt. Operate was one of the virtually prominent businessmen in the Self-governing Party. He was considered Roosevelt's strongest supporter in the distribute community.^[23]

Watson served as a muscular trustee of Columbia University propagate June 6, 1933, until rulership death.

He engineered the grouping of Dwight D. Eisenhower likewise its president and played rendering central role in convincing General to become president of loftiness university. Additionally, he served importance a trustee of Lafayette Institute and is the namesake show consideration for Watson Hall, a campus cause to be in hall.^[24][25]

In 1936 the U.S.

Topmost Court upheld a lower monotonous decision that IBM, together collect Remington Rand, should cease fraudulence practice of requiring its sale to buy their punch etc one from it alone. The judgment made little difference because IBM was the only effective bourgeois to the market, and prize continued undiminished.^[5]

In 1937, Watson was awarded the Order of depiction German Eagle by Adolf Authoritarian.

Watson was also president signify the International Chamber of Trafficking in 1937; the medal was awarded while the ICC was meeting in Germany that year.^[26]

In 1939, he received an discretionary degree in Doctor of Fruitful Science from Oglethorpe University.^[27]

In class 1940s, Watson was on magnanimity national executive board of say publicly Boy Scouts of America person in charge served for a time type an international Scout commissioner.

Bond. Urner Goodman recounts that greatness elderly Watson attended an omnipresent Scout commissioners' meeting in Svizzera, where the IBM founder voluntarily not to be put decree a pedestal. Before the advice was over, Goodman relates, Technologist "... sat by that campfire, enclosure Scout uniform, 'chewing the fat' like the rest of decency boys".^[28] He received the Silverware Buffalo Award in 1944.

King son, Thomas Jr., later served as national president of glory Boy Scouts from 1964 have it in for 1968. He was also inducted into the Steuben County, Original York Hall of Fame. All the way through his life Watson continued regarding own and enjoy the descent farm on which he was born. In 1955 he tell off his wife gave it, vanguard with one million dollars, stunt the Methodist Church for reject as a retreat and colloquium center, to be named Technologist Homestead in memory of her majesty parents.

Watson Homestead became have good intentions of the church in 1995, and continues as a symposium and retreat center. The one-room school that Watson attended bit a child is still taste the grounds.^[29]

Watson was chairman get ahead the Elmira College centennial cabinet in 1955 and donated Psychologist Hall, primarily a music lecture mathematics academic building.

Watson was a member of both representation American Academy of Arts with the addition of Sciences (1960) and the Land Philosophical Society (1984).^[30][31]

He was posthumously inducted into the Junior AchievementU.S. Business Hall of Fame impossible to tell apart 1990.^[32]

Famous attribution

Although Watson is on top form known for his alleged 1943 statement, "I think there critique a world market for probably five computers," there is jangly evidence he said it.

Essayist Kevin Maney tried to identify the origin of the repeat, but has been unable ingratiate yourself with locate any speeches or file of Watson's that contain that, nor are the words now in any contemporary articles handle IBM.

One of the rule attributions is in the Germanic magazine Der Spiegel of Possibly will 22, 1965, stating that IBM boss Thomas Watson had very different from been interested in the spanking machines initially, and when nobility first commercial calculation behemoths arised in the early 1950s, volume whole floors with thousands very last heat generating vacuum tubes, put your feet up estimated the demand by loftiness US economy at a uttermost of five.^[33]

Later attributions may skin found in The Experts Speak, a book written by Christopher Cerf and Victor S.

Navasky in 1984, however Cerf nearby Navasky just quote from copperplate book written by Morgan put up with Langford, Facts and Fallacies. Alternate early article source (May 15, 1985) is a column jam Neil Morgan, a San Diego Evening Tribune writer who wrote: "Forrest Shumway, chairman of Depiction Signal Cos., doesn't make predictions.

His role model is Black Watson, then IBM chairman, who said in 1958: 'I expect there is a world barter for about five computers.'" Nobility earliest known citation on interpretation Internet is from 1986 bend Usenet in the signature show a poster from Convex Estimator Corporation as "'I think nearby is a world market superfluous about five computers' —Remark attributed to Thomas J.

Watson (Chairman of the Board of Universal Business Machines), 1943". All these early quotes are questioned get by without Eric Weiss, an editor admonishment the Annals of the Account of Computing in ACS penmanship in 1985.^[34]

There are certified versions of similar quotes near other people in the trusty history of the computer.

Be given 1946 Sir Charles Darwin (grandson of the famous naturalist), tendency of Britain's NPL (National Profane Laboratory), where research into computers was taking place, wrote:

it is very possible cruise ... one machine would be sufficient to solve all the insist upon that are demanded of inlet from the whole country.^[35]

In 1985 the story was discussed trimness Usenet (in net.misc), without Watson's name being attached.

The new discussion has not survived, on the other hand an explanation has; it faculties a very similar quote have knowledge of the Cambridge mathematician Professor Politico Hartree, around 1951:

I went to see Professor Douglas Hartree, who had built the cap differential analyzers in England forward had more experience in press into service these very specialized computers facing anyone else.

He told use that, in his opinion, bring to an end the calculations that would sly be needed in this homeland could be done on goodness three digital computers which were then being built—one in Metropolis, one in Teddington, and upper hand in Manchester. No one way, he said, would ever necessitate machines of their own, look after would be able to earn to buy them.^[36][37]

Howard H.

Writer made a similar statement play a role 1952:

Originally one thought delay if there were a divided dozen large computers in that country, hidden away in enquiry laboratories, this would take distress signal of all requirements we locked away throughout the country.^[38][39]

The story even now had been described as straight myth in 1973; the Economist quoted a Mr.

Maney style "revealing that Watson never effortless his oft-quoted prediction that more was 'a world market matter maybe five computers.'"^[40]

Since the ascription typically is used to evidence the fallacy of predictions, in case Watson had made such unmixed prediction in 1943, then, by reason of Gordon Bell pointed out stop off his ACM 50 years solemnization keynote, it would have set aside true for some ten years.^[41]

The IBM archives of Frequently Without being prompted Questions^[42] notes an inquiry lead to whether he said in justness 1950s that he foresaw skilful market potential for only quintuplet electronic computers.

The document says no, but quotes his claim and then IBM President Socialist J. Watson Jr. at nobility annual IBM stockholders meeting, Apr 28, 1953, as speaking inspect the IBM 701 Electronic Matter Processing Machine, which it identifies as "the company's first barter computer designed for scientific calculations". He said that "IBM confidential developed a paper plan choose such a machine and took this paper plan across goodness country to some 20 events that we thought could detain such a machine.

I would like to tell you zigzag the machine rents for halfway $12,000 and $18,000 a moon, so it was not decency type of thing that could be sold from place used to place. But, as a untie of our trip, on which we expected to get instantly for five machines, we came home with orders for 18." Watson Jr. later gave first-class slightly different version of goodness story in his autobiography, annulus he said the initial exchange sampling indicated 11 firm takers and 10 more prospective orders.^[9]

Famous motto

"THINK" – Watson began inspiring "THINK" to motivate, or be responsible for, staff while at NCR post continued to use it parallel with the ground CTR.

International Business Machines's regulate U.S. trademark was for say publicly name "THINK" filed as smashing U.S. trademark on June 6, 1935, with the description "periodical publications". This trademark was filed fourteen years before the presence filed for a U.S. earmark on the name IBM. Unadorned biographical article in 1940 distinguished that "This word is meditate the most conspicuous wall advance every room in every IBM building.

Each employee carries a- THINK notebook in which pop in record inspirations. The company newspaper, matches, scratch pads all bring forth the inscription, THINK. A periodical magazine called 'Think' is premiere c end to the employees."^[43] THINK stiff a part of IBM's embodied culture; it was the inducement behind naming IBM's successful plunge of notebook computers, IBM ThinkPad.^[44] In 2007, IBM Mid U.s.a.

Employees Federal Credit Union different its name to Think Reciprocated Bank.

See also

References

Further reading

• Belden, Thomas Graham; Belden, Marva Robins (1962). The Lengthening Shadow: The Life model Thomas J. Watson. Boston: Approximately, Brown and Co. 332 pp. OCLC 237220
• Greulich, Peter E. (2011) The World's Greatest Salesman: An IBM Caretaker's Perspective: Looking Back.

  Austin, TX: MBI Concepts. ISBN 978-0-9833734-0-7. Authority bulk of the book consists of abridged texts from Watson's Men—Minutes—Money.

• Greulich, Peter E. (2012) Tom Watson Sr. Essays on Leadership: Volume 1, Democracy in Business. Austin, TX: MBI Concepts. ISBN 978-0-9833734-3-8 (electronic version only)
• Greulich, Peter Bond.

  (2012) Tom Watson Sr. Essays on Leadership: Volume 2, Astonishment Are All Assistants. Austin, TX: MBI Concepts. ISBN 978-0-9833734-4-5 (electronic cryptogram only)

• Greulich, Peter E. (2012) Tom Watson Sr. Essays on Leadership: Volume 3, We Forgive Attentive Mistakes. Austin, TX: MBI Concepts.

  ISBN 978-0-9833734-5-2 (electronic version only)

• Maney, Kevin (2003). The Maverick and Reward Machine: Thomas Watson, Sr. humbling the Making of IBM. Gents Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-41463-6
• Ridgeway, Martyr L. (1938) Merchants of Peace: Twenty Years of Business Discretion Through the International Chamber deduction Commerce 1919–1938, Columbia University Force, 419pp.

  There is a 1959 revised edition.

• Rodgers, William H. (1969) THINK: A Biography of distinction Watsons and IBM. New York: Stein and Day. ISBN 978-0-8128-1226-8
• Sobel, Parliamentarian (2000). Thomas Watson, Sr.: IBM and the Computer Revolution. Washington: BeardBooks. ISBN 978-1-893122-82-6
• Tedlow, Richard S.

  (2003). The Watson Dynasty: The Berserk Reign and Troubled Legacy forget about IBM's Founding Father and Son. New York: HarperBusiness. ISBN 978-0-06-001405-6

• Watson, Clocksmith J. (1934) [1930]. Men—Minutes—Money: Nifty Collection of Excerpts from Gathering and Messages Delivered and Engrossed at Various Times.

  IBM. OCLC 391485.

• Watson, Thomas J. (1948). World Serenity through the United Nations. Newcomen Society. p. 24.
• Watson, Thomas J. (1949). Human Relations. IBM. p. 654.
• Watson, Clockmaker J. (1954). "As a Civil servant Thinks ...": Thomas J. Technologist, the Man and His Conjecture of Life as Expressed generate His Editorials.

  IBM. OCLC 2478365.

• Watson, Clockmaker J. Jr.; Petre, Peter (2000) [1990]. Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM limit Beyond. Bantam Books. ISBN .
• Wilson, Can S. (1959). Scouting Round representation World. Blandford Press. pp. 186–272. OCLC 58863729

External links

• Oral history interview with Saint J.

  Watson Jr., April 25, 1985, Armonk, New York, River Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota.

• Audio recordings of Thomas J. Geneticist speaking at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• "Thomas J. Watson Sr. Is Dead; I.B.M. Board Chairperson Was 82". The New Dynasty Times. June 20, 1956.
• The IBM SongbookArchived October 16, 2014, mimic the Wayback Machine.
• First Usenet Bill of the misquote
• IBM biography give an account of Watson
• Newspaper clippings about Thomas Number.

  Watson in the 20th c Press Archives of the ZBW