List of Presidents of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE)

AIEE Presidents, 1884-1963

AIEE presidents, including Steinmetz at center

A group of past presidents at the AIEE Chicago Convention, June 29, 1911. Photo appears on page 1773 of the 50th Anniversary special issue of "Electrical Engineering." Back row (l-r) Gano Dunn, Dugald C. Jackson, Louis A. Ferguson, Schulyer S. Wheeler, John W. Lied, and Bion J. Arnold. Front row (l-r) Francis C. Crocker, T. Commeford Martin, Frank J. Sprague and Charles P. Steinmetz.

John Castlereagh Parker and William Harrison, 1938

• 1884-1886 - Norvin Green (17 February 1818 - 12 February 1893), became the president of Western Union in 1878. He later was one of the founders of the AIEE in the early 1880s.

• 1886-1887 - Franklin L. Pope (2 December 1840 - 13 October 1895), one of America’s first practicing electrical engineers. In addition to his inventions and patents, which greatly contributed to the field of electrical engineering, he authored several books in the genres of literature, history, and genealogy.

• 1887-1888 - T. Commerford Martin (22 July 1856 - 17 May 1924), editor of electrical magazines and an author of various works. He also worked for the U.S. Census Office from 1900-1915, where he wrote reports about electrical industries and utilities.

• 1888-1889 - Edward Weston (9 May 1850 - 20 August 1936), improved electrical instruments so that they would be more portable and that their measurements would become more accurate. In 1908, his standard cell became the universal standard of electromotive force.

• 1889-1890 - Elihu Thomson (29 March 1853 - 13 March 1937), his invention of the 3 coil dynamo was the foundation to a successful electric lighting system that he and colleague E. J. Houston produced in 1879 through their company Thomson-Houston Electric Company. This company merged with Edison General Electric Company in 1892 to form General Electric Company.

• 1890-1891 - William A. Anthony (17 November 1835 - 29 May 1909), professor of physics and mechanics at many U.S. universities. In addition to teaching, he also contributed articles to many electrical engineering magazines, and was an electric engineer consultant in New York City.

• 1891-1892 - Alexander Graham Bell (3 March 1847 - 2 August 1922), most known for his invention of the telephone in 1876.

• 1892-1893 - Frank Julian Sprague (25 July 1857 - 25 October 1934), founded the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company, which later developed an electric railway system in Richmond, Virginia using electric traction.

• 1893-1895 - Edwin J. Houston (9 July 1847 - 1 March 1914), collaborated with Elihu Thomson to create a successful electric lighting system. In addition to his inventions, Houston was also a university professor, author, and engineering consultant.

• 1895-1897 - Louis Duncan (25 March 1861 - 13 February 1916), served as an electrical engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University for 14 years. After retiring from his career in academia, Duncan was an engineering consultant for many traction, utility, and railway companies.

• 1897-1898 - Francis B. Crocker (4 July 1861 - 9 July 1921), pioneered the design for commercially successful motors. Crocker also supported the national and international standardization of electrical equipment.

• 1898-1900 - Arthur E. Kennelly (17 December 1861 - 18 June 1939), co-discovered the Heaviside-Kennelly layer in the ionosphere with Oliver Heaviside in 1901, which contributed to the study of radio waves.

• 1900-1901 - Carl Hering (29 March 1860 - 10 May 1926), an electrical engineer who researched storage batteries, designed and improved the electric furnace, and made discoveries regarding electromagnetic force. Hering also published works about mechanical and electrical engineering.

• 1901-1902 - Charles P. Steinmetz (9 April 1865 - 26 October 1923), worked on inventions for electric motors, generators, and street cars. In addition to his research, he was an electrophysics professor at Union University.

• 1902-1903 - Charles F. Scott (19 September 1864 - 17 December 1944), created a new method for phase transformation called the “Scott Connection.” In 1911, Scott became an electrical engineering professor at Yale University, and he served as the head of the Electrical Engineering Program at the university.

• 1903-1904 - Bion J. Arnold (14 April 1861 - 29 January 1942), pioneered street railways in numerous cities across the United States, and he helped to bring electricity to New York’s Grand Central Station. In addition to his work on railways, Arnold also invented a magnetic clutch and improved storage batteries.

• 1904-1905 - John W. Lieb (12 February 1860 - 1 November 1929), experimented with the Brush arc light system in the fall of 1877, which led him to work at the Brush Electric Company and later the Edison Electric Company. Lieb also worked in Italy, where he directed the completion of Milan’s first electric trolley line in 1893.

• 1905-1906 - Schuyler Skaats Wheeler (17 May 1860 - 20 April 1923), worked with Francis B. Crocker on small electric motors. Wheeler invented the electric fire engine, the electric elevator, and the electric fan among other inventions.

• 1906-1907 - Samuel Sheldon (8 March 1862 - 4 September 1920), a physics and electrical engineering professor at Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, New York. While at the university, he expanded their laboratories to include physical, mechanical, and electrical engineering research.

• 1907-1908 - Henry G. Stott (13 May 1866 - 15 January 1917), the assistant engineer of Buffalo, New York’s underground cable and conduit system. In 1901, he became the supervisor for the Interborough Rapid Transit System in New York City.

• 1908-1909 - Louis A. Ferguson (19 August 1867 - 21 August 1940), recommended the 3 phase a-c system for substations, and has made important contributions to the development of low voltage distribution.

• 1909-1910 - Lewis B. Stillwell (12 March 1863 - January 1941), the director of the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1897, and he became the director of the Rapid Transit Subway Company of New York City in 1900. In addition to his work as an engineer and a consultant, Stillwell was also an advocate for energy conservation.

• 1910-1911 - Dugald C. Jackson (13 February 1865 - 1 July 1951), supervised the design and construction of several railway and power plants when he worked as an engineer at Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company and later as an engineer for Edison General Electric Company.

• 1911-1912 - Gano Dunn (18 October 1870 - 10 April 1953), became president of the J. G. White Engineering Corporation in 1913. Included among the company’s projects were the United States Naval Oil Base at Pearl Harbor, 13 transoceanic radio stations, and the first long-distance natural gas pipeline in California.

• 1912-1913 - Ralph D. Mershon (14 July 1868 - 14 February 1952), an engineer whose most notable contribution to engineering is his work with high voltage transmission. Mershon also invented a 6-phase rotary converter, the compounded rotary converter, and a compensating voltmeter among other inventions.

• 1913-1914 - Cyprien O. Mailloux (30 July 1857 - 4 October 1932), the editor of Electric World, and supported the standardization of technical terms.

• 1914-1915 - Paul M. Lincoln (1 January 1870 - 20 December 1944), invented the synchroscope. He also worked as an electrical engineer, and taught electrical engineering at Cornell University.

• 1915-1916 - John J. Carty (14 April 1861 - 27 December 1932), designed the “bridging bell”, which allowed extended telephone use to rural areas of the United States. Carty also announced AT & T’s intention to complete a transcontinental telephone line.

• 1916-1917 - Harold W. Buck (7 May 1893 - 5 August 1958), supervised the experimental work that led to the development of the oil circuit breaker and other high voltage devices while working at General Electric Company. He also worked as the chief electrical engineer at the Niagara Falls Power Company, where he worked on the distribution of power across the U.S.-Canada border.

• 1917-1918 - Edwin W. Rice, Jr. (6 May 1862 - 25 November 1935), is considered one of the three fathers of General Electric. Rice filed over 100 patents for his inventions, which include oil switches of high capacity, arc lamps, and synchronous converters among other creations.

• 1918-1919 - Comfort A. Adams (1 November 1868 - 21 February 1958), worked as an electrical engineering professor at Harvard University. His interest in welding technology led him to design the first alternating-current transformer, which allowed him to maintain contact with “real world” engineering work.

• 1919-1920 - Calvert Townley (18 October 1864 - 27 November 1933), an electrical engineer who worked on the installation and equipment maintenance of transit systems in the Northeast. Two of his most notable projects were working with electrical equipment in Boston’s South Terminal and the electrification of railroad lines leaving New York City.

• 1920-1921 - Arthur W. Berresford (9 July 1872 - 30 May 1941), worked as an engineer for the Brooklyn City Railroad Company where he overhauled motors and assisted with trolley line construction. He later worked for the Riker Electric Company, which manufactured rheostats and electric controlling devices.

• 1921-1922 - William McClellan (5 November 1872 - 24 November 1950), supervised the layout and installation of a high-voltage substation and the car equipment for the Erie Railroad. He also worked at University of Pennsylvania as a university professor and dean.

• 1922-1923 - Frank B. Jewett (5 September 1879 - 18 November 1949), worked as an engineer for AT&T, where his work demonstrated transatlantic radio telephony using a vacuum-tube transmitter.

• 1923-1924 - Harris J. Ryan (8 January 1866 - 3 July 1934), a university professor at Cornell University and later Stanford University, where he researched high voltage phenomena.

• 1924-1925 - Farley Osgood (1874 - 6 October 1933), a traveling engineer who made inspections and installations for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. He also served as vice president and general manager of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G).

• 1925-1926 - Michael I. Pupin (4 October 1858 - 12 March 1935), taught mathematical physics at Columbia University. He also studied wave propagation, and applied his findings to long distance telephony experiments and research.

• 1926-1927 - Cummings C. Chesney (28 October 1863 - 27 November 1947), a member of the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company, which built the first revolving field type of alternator used in the United States.

• 1927-1928 - Bancroft Gherardi (6 April 1873 - 14 August 1941), improved telephone transmission circuits by demonstrating that telephone transmission followed the same laws of attenuation as lower frequency telegraph.

• 1928-1929 - Rudolph F. Schuchardt (14 December 1875 - 25 October 1932), the chief electrical engineer at Chicago Edison Company.

• 1929-1930 - Harold B. Smith (23 May 1869 - 9 February 1932), one of the pioneers in developing high-voltage power transmission systems and equipment.

• 1930-1931 - William S. Lee (28 January 1872 - 24 March 1934), president of W.S. Lee Engineering Corporation of New York and Charlotte. He also worked with James B. Duke in developing hydroelectric resources in the southern United States.

• 1931-1932 - Charles E. Skinner (30 May 1865 - 12 May 1950), in charge of the insulation design and magnetic testing departments at Westinghouse Company, and he later organized a research division for the company’s engineering department. Skinner was also active in the field of international standardization.

• 1932-1933 - Harry P. Charlesworth (7 April 1882 - 30 December 1972), vice president of Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., where he directed the development and research of telephone communication.

• 1933-1934 - John B. Whitehead (18 August 1872 - 16 November 1954), a professor Johns Hopkins University. He also was commissioned as a major in the Corps of Engineers in the U.S. Army during World War I, and he served as an adviser to the Navy during World War II.

• 1934-1935 - J. Allen Johnson (21 June 1882 - 4 October 1935), served as the chief electrical engineer of the Buffalo Niagara Eastern Power Corporation.

• 1935-1936 - Edward B. Meyer (22 October 1882 - January 1937), was the chief electrical engineer of the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey.

• 1936-1937 - Alexander M. MacCutcheon (31 December 1881 - 3 March 1954), the chief engineer for the Reliance Electric and Engineering Company.

• 1937-1938 - William H. Harrison (11 June 1892 - 21 April 1956), member of the engineering staff at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. He was later the plant engineer at the Bell Telephone System central office.

• 1938-1939 - John Castlereagh Parker (15 April 1879 - 23 March 1953), was part responsible for the reconstruction of the Brooklyn Edison Company’s electrical system. He also served as the vice president in charge of engineering of the Hudson Avenue Station in Brooklyn, which would become the world’s largest steam-electric generating station.

• 1939-1940 - F. Malcolm Farmer (28 March 1877 - 4 January 1971), was a member of several standardization organizations, and he was also a published author.

• 1940-1941 - Royal W. Sorensen (25 April 1882 - 27 October 1965), was a leader in the field of high-voltage, long distance electrical transmission, and he invented the vacuum switch for high-current electrical circuit. Sorensen was also worked as an electrical engineering professor at Throop/Caltech.

• 1941-1942 - David C. Prince (5 February 1891 - 10 September 1983), managed the commercial engineering department at General Electric Company.

• 1942-1943 - Harold S. Osborne (1 August 1887 - 29 December 1985), worked on wireless telephony. He is also a former mayor of Montclair, New Jersey.

• 1943-1944 - Nevin E. Funk (4 November 1883 - April 1973), was vice president in charge of engineering at the Philadelphia Electric Company.

• 1944-1945 - Charles A. Powel (30 July 1884 - 1972), was the assistant to the vice president of engineering for Westinghouse in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

• 1945-1946 - William E. Wickenden (24 December 1882 - 1 September 1947), was elected president of Case School of Applied Science at Case Western Reserve University in 1929.

• 1946-1947 - J. Elmer Housley (9 January 1893 - 10 January 1962), was in charge of engineering at the Aluminum Company of America, and supervised the operation and maintenance of the company’s hydro-electric power system.

• 1947-1948 - Blake D. Hull (12 September 1882 - 15 February 1952), became chief engineer for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1936.

• 1948-1949 - Everett S. Lee (19 November 1891 - 4 March 1983), became the Consulting Laboratory Engineer for General Electric in 1945, and he was the editor for the General Electric Review from 1951 to 1958.

• 1949-1950 - James F. Fairman (8 April 1896 - 25 April 1967), elected vice president on Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., and supervised electric and gas production and operation.

• 1950-1951 - Titus G. LeClair (26 August 1899 - 26 March 1968), invented relay schemes, switching schemes, automatic printing meters, and special conductors.

• 1951-1952 - Fred O. McMillan (12 May 1890 - 26 April 1956), was an engineering professor at many U.S. universities, and he also was a consulting engineer for a number of public utility companies.

• 1952-1953 - Donald A. Quarles (30 July 1894 - 8 May 1959), was vice president of Bell Telephone Laboratories. In 1954, President Eisenhower appointed him as a member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

• 1953-1954 - Elgin B. Robertson (4 June 1893 - 29 July 1981), was chief electrical engineer, and later became midwest manager for The Railway and Industrial Engine Company.

• 1954-1955 - Alexander C. Monteith (10 April 1902 - 17 September 1979), was vice president and chairman of the Westinghouse Educational Foundation.

• 1955-1956 - Morris D. Hooven (30 May 1897 - October 1976), served on the inter-utilities committee at the Public Service Electric Company (PSE&G), which established the Pennsylvania-New Jersey 220 kv Interconnection. He also worked on other committees that developed load studies, operating communications, river basin studies, and plant designs.

• 1956-1957 - Mervin S. Coover (9 December 1890 - 24 November 1976), worked at the University of Colorado as both a professor and a dean. He also served as the assistant regional coordinator of the Engineering Science and Management Defense Training Program.

• 1957-1958 - Walter J. Barrett (10 January 1899 - 4 November 1982), worked in the Operation and Engineering Department at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in New York City. He later was employed in the Engineering Department at the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company.

• 1958-1959 - L. F. Hickernell (22 March 1899 - 16 December 1963), became vice president of engineering for the Anaconda Wire & Cable Company in 1957.

• 1959-1960 - James H. Foote (21 November 1891 - 7 June 1985), was chief engineer for Commonwealth Associates, Inc., and he also served as director of Atomic Power Development Associates, Inc.

• 1960-1961 - Clarence H. Linder (18 January 1903 - 3 May 1994), worked at General Electric from 1924 to 1963. He served as GE's Vice President of Engineering from 1953 to 1959.

• 1961-1962 - Warren J. Chase (25 January 1898 - August 1973), served as chief engineer and later was appointed vice president of Ohio Bell Telephone Company.

• 1962-1963 - B. Richard Teare, Jr. (12 January 1907 - 1 March 1987), was an electrical engineering professor at Yale University and later at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Further Reading

Also see Presidents of the IRE and Presidents of the IEEE.