John Diebold

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John Theurer Diebold (June 8, 1926 – December 26, 2005) was a pioneer and early champion of widespread uses of computing and automated technology.

Diebold was born in Weehawken, New Jersey.[1] He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1949 and Harvard Business School in 1951. He published his first of twelve books, Automation, in 1952. In it, he presented his vision of the use of programmable electronic systems for business. He was fired from several jobs for refusing to "give up on his obsession with computer and automation"[2]. Considered ahead of his time, many of his ideas were widely implemented. In 1968, for instance, he championed automated teller machines (ATMs). That same year, he established an operating foundation, The Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies. Among its works was a case report on the impact of Silicon Alley on the New York economy.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bayot, Jennifer. "John Diebold, 79, a Visionary of the Computer Age, Dies", The New York Times, December 27, 2005. Accessed April 16, 2008.
  2. ^ Automation pioneer John Diebold dies at 79, Dec. 12, 2005.

[edit] External links

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