Thomas J. Watson
American businessman (1874–1956) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American businessman who was the chairman and CEO of IBM.[1][2] He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's management style and corporate culture from John Henry Patterson's training at NCR.[3] He turned the company into a highly effective selling organization, based largely on punched card tabulating machines.
Thomas J. Watson | |
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Born | Thomas John Watson (1874-02-17)February 17, 1874 Campbell, New York, U.S. |
Died | June 19, 1956(1956-06-19) (aged 82) Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Chairman and CEO of IBM 1914–1956 |
Spouse |
Jeanette M. Kittredge
(m. 1913) |
Children | 4, including Thomas Watson Jr. and Arthur K. Watson |
Signature | |
Watson authorized providing Hitler's Third Reich with data processing solutions and involved IBM in cooperation with Nazi Germany throughout the 1930s and until the end of World War II, profiting from both the German and American war efforts.[4] A leading self-made industrialist,[5] he was one of the richest men of his time when he died in 1956.