Frederick Terman

Frederick Emmons Terman (born June 7, 1900 in English , Indiana , † December 19, 1982 in Palo Alto , California ) was an American electrical engineer . Together with William Shockley, he is considered the "father of Silicon Valley ".

biography

Terman studied at Stanford University and later became Professor ( Engineering ) and Provost of that university. He encouraged his students to set up their own businesses nearby or to work in neighboring firms, and he also helped set up them himself. After the Second World War , Terman attracted many government-funded research projects and made Stanford a “talent factory” in the high-tech field.

Terman also influenced and promoted David Packard and William Hewlett , who started a business in their legendary little Silicon Valley garage in 1939 . This then quickly developed into one of the first and most successful high-tech companies in the world - Hewlett-Packard (HP). In 1945 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in 1946 to the National Academy of Sciences and in 1957 to the American Philosophical Society .

In addition, Terman built the “ Stanford Industrial Park ” for newly founded companies in 1951 , in which companies such as IBM and HP had settled a few years later . A short time later there were over 150 companies, including Kodak and Apple . HP still has its headquarters there today.

Web links

• Biography at the IEEE History Center (English)