Thomas's J. Watson, Sr. (* 17 February 1874 in Campbell, New York; "† 19 June 1956 in New York town center) is considered as a founder of IBM. It was one of the richest men of its time and with its death as the world of best salesmen was designated.

Early years

Its professional training consisted of only one course to the Elmira School OF Commerce, a professional school. It began its first place with 18 years, as an accountant in Clarence Risley's Market in Painted post office (New York). Later it sold sewing machines and music instruments, before he became national a salesman with that cash register company (NCR) in Buffalo. He worked himself there up to the sales director highly. Decided to motivate the discouraged coworkers of the field service he devised the slogan "THINK" (think!), which late became a far away well-known symbol IBM.

In its time with NCR he was condemned because of illegal competition-adverse sales practices. So it is to have caused its people to sell defective cash registers (either used NCR cashes or such of the competition). These cashes malfunctioned soon their service - and a NCR representative already emerged, in order to sell a brand-new cash. It became just like John H. Patterson, which condemns owners of NCR, to one year prison. The condemnation was unpopular in the public, because Patterson and Watson had helped the victims of the tide of Dayton (Ohio) in the year 1913. Attempts to reach a pardon by president Woodrow Wilson remained without success. 1915 main headers an industrial tribunal the judgement with the reason up that important evidence of the defense certified were.

On 17 April 1913 Watson Jeanette M. Kittredge married. The pair had two sons and two daughters. Both sons followed it into undertaking and brought it with IBM to prominent positions. The younger son, Arthur K. Watson, became a president IBM World trade corporation.

Boss IBM

At the 1. May 1914 became Watson first plenipotentiaries of the Computing Tabulating Recording company, which existed only for three years. With its content he negotiated a commission of five per cent of the profit after taxes and dividends, which made him later the best paid manager in the USA. When he took over the task, the company had less than 400 coworkers. In the meantime president of the CTR, designated Watson 1924 the society in internationally Business Machines corporation over. Watson made IBM by systematic switching of the competition off as well as by patented advancements and improvements of the Hollerith machines to the quasi-monopolist with the punch card sorters. To already introduce this 1932 compelled the US Government a first anti-trust-action, in order to try to eliminate the monopoly IBM with production and sales from punch cards to. 1952 followed a further procedure. At that time IBM possessed 90 per cent of all tabulating machines in the USA, which were however not sold only rented.

Watson regarded it as important part of its task to motivate the Aussendienstler. As part of it it let salesmen meet its regularly to common singing meetings (see below: Left to IBM the song book).

Its whole life long had Watson large interest in international relations. He took over the Slogan "world peace for IBM by world trade", co-operated with the world trade chamber and 1937 to their president was intensively selected. Many years long it was active as trustees for the Columbia University and the Lafayette college. It received 27 from American universities and four further activities political international from other land Seine and had above all the goal of maximum profit for itself and IBM. It supports Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932 with generous donations in the election campaign and maintained an intensive contact with it. In addition, he expressed his highest appreciation and sympathy for Adolf Hitler. 1937 received to Watson the "eagles with star" - medal from the German chancellor for its refusal the boycott against Germany to follow and its readiness the world trade summit in Germany to organize. After outbreak of the Second World War Watson returned the medal in June 1940. By the German subsidiary Dehomag made IBM during the third realm profit-pregnant business with the later American war opponent. Which knew Watson, which was always very well informed about its company and regulated many little things personally, in this time about the use of the rented punch card sorters, in particular when organizing the Holocausts, is until today not clearly.

In September 1949 Watson was appointed the chairman IBM. One month before its death he handed the line to the company over to his son, Thomas's J. Watson, Jr.

At the time of its death Watson in Manhattan lived. He was buried on the Sleepy Hollow cemetery in New York.

The famous wrong quotation

Watson is often attributed the quotation: "I believe that it will give a need of perhaps five computers in the world." He is to have said this sentence 1943, but there is no proof for it. The author Kevin Maney tried to fathom the origin of this quotation could however neither in the speeches Watsons nor in other documents a reference to it find.

Literature

• Edwin Black: IBM and the Holocaust. Involving the world company into the crimes of the Nazis. 2001, ISBN 3-549-07130-2

Related links

• The IBM Songbook (English)

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