F. Malcolm Farmer
F. Malcolm Farmer, AIEE President, 1939 - 1940, was a member of several standardization organizations, and he was also a published author.
Biography
Farmer was AIEE president from 1939 to 1940.
Frank Malcolm Farmer, vice-president and chief engineer of Electrical Testing Laboratories, New York, NY, was AIEE president from 1939 to 1940. Born at Ilion, NY, March 28, 1877, Mr. Farmer was graduated from Cornell University with the degree of mechanical engineering in 1899. In 1903, after 1.5 years in the test department of the General Electric Company at Schenectady, NY, and 2.5 years in the inspection division of the United States Navy at Brooklyn, NY, he joined the staff of Electrical Testing Laboratories, Inc. (then known as the Lamp Testing Bureau) as a technical assistant. He became engineer in 1906, chief engineer in 1912, and vice-president in 1929. Concurrently, he was instructor ad Cooper Union night school of science from 1902 to 1906, serving under the late Professor William A. Anthony.
Mr. Farmer has been particularly active at various periods in several standardization organizations; as chairman of two committees and as president (1924-25) of the American Society for Testing Materials; as chairman of two committees of the standards council of the American Standards Association and of the council (1936-?); as a member of the electrical standards committee of the United States National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission, and the instruments and measurements committee of the power test codes committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is a contributor to several reference books, and author of a book on electrical measurements and of many papers given before engineering and technical societies. His Institute paper on "The Performance of High Tension Papers" in 1926 received both the national best paper prize and the regional best paper price. He is at present a member of the board of United Engineering Trustees, Inc., and of the Engineering Societies monographs committee, and chairman of The Engineering Foundation, on all of which bodies he represents the Institute.
He has served on the following Institute committees: standards, 1919-22, 1923-[39]; power transmission and distribution 1920-38; electric welding, 1927-28, 1930-31; research, 1929-38 (chairman, 1933-36); technical program, 1933-36, 1939-[39], award of Institute prizes, 1933-36; executive, 1934-36, 1937-[39]; and Edison Medal, 1934-38. In addition, Mr. Farmer has been a member of the Institute's board of examiners, 1923-28, 1936-38; chairman of the headquarters committee, 1936-38; and member of the Institute policy committee, 1037-38. He was a director from 1934 to 1938 and served as vice-president representing the New York City District (number 3). He is also a member of the finance committee and of the committee on transfers and is chairman of the committee on planning and coordination. In addition to his Institute activities, Mr. Farmer is a director of the American Standards Association; a past president of the American Society for Testing Materials; a past president of the American Welding Society; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (Great Britain) and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
