Thomas J Watson Sr Biography Facts Britannica Money

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 4:54 AM

thomas j watson sr biography facts britannica money

Thomas J. Watson, Sr. (born February 17, 1874, Campbell, New York, U.S.—died June 19, 1956, New York, New York) was an American industrialist who built the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) into the largest manufacturer of electric typewriters... The son of a lumber dealer, Watson studied at the Elmira (New York) School of Commerce and then worked as a salesman, first in a retail store and then for a small cash register... In 1895 Watson joined the sales staff of the National Cash Register Company in Dayton, Ohio, and he eventually rose to the post of general sales manager of the company under the tutelage of... In 1912 Patterson involved Watson in an illegal antitrust scheme that resulted in convictions for both men, later overturned.

Watson left the National Cash Register in 1913. In 1914 Watson became president of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, a maker of electrical punch-card computing systems and other products; the company changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. An exceptional salesman and organizer, Watson assembled a highly motivated, well-trained, and well-paid staff. He gave pep talks, enforced a strict dress code, and posted the now famous slogan “Think” in company offices. Coupled with an aggressive research and development program, those efforts enabled IBM to dominate its market. Watson aggressively pursued international trade in the 1930s and ’40s, extending IBM’s virtual monopoly of the business machines industry worldwide.

In 1952 he turned the IBM presidency over to his son, Thomas, Jr., while retaining the post of chairman. By the time of Watson’s death four years later, the company (which had 235 employees in 1914) employed 60,000 people and had 200 offices throughout the country, with factories and assembly plants around the... Watson was active in civic affairs and was noted for his efforts on behalf of the arts and world peace. In his honour, his wife started the Thomas J. Watson Foundation in 1961. In 1968 their four children focused the foundation money toward education and world affairs, issues that were of primary importance to their father throughout his life, and launched the Thomas J.

Watson Fellowship, which offered college graduates a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside the United States. 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. Watson authorized providing Nazi Germany with data processing solutions and involved IBM in cooperation throughout the 1930s and until the end of World War II, profiting from both the German and American war efforts.[4]... Thomas J.

Watson was born in Campbell, New York, in the state's Southern Tier region, the fifth child and only son of Thomas and Jane Fulton White Watson.[6] His four older siblings were Jennie, Effie, Loua,... His father farmed and owned a modest lumber business located near Painted Post, a few miles west of Corning.[7] Thomas worked on the family farm in East Campbell and attended the District School Number... Having given up his first job—teaching—after just one day, Watson took a year's course in accounting and business at the Miller School of Commerce in Elmira, New York. He left the school in 1891, taking a job at $6 a week as bookkeeper for Clarence Risley's Market in Painted Post. One year later he joined a traveling salesman, George Cornwell, peddling organs and pianos around the farms for William Bronson's local hardware store. When Cornwell left, Watson continued alone, earning $10 per week.

After two years of this life, he realized he would be earning $70 per week if he were on a commission. His indignation on making this discovery was such that he quit and moved from his familiar surroundings to the relative metropolis of Buffalo.[7] Watson then spent a very brief period selling sewing machines for Wheeler and Wilson. According to his son Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s autobiography: His people-first agenda created a culture that became the envy of industry and a business juggernaut that competitors would both admire and fear

Thomas J. Watson Sr. created a model corporation for the 20th century. Guided by a set of human-centric principles, he redefined culture and management for generations of CEOs and reframed industry’s role as an indispensable partner in meeting society’s challenges. IBM came to rule the information technology market under Watson’s paternalistic leadership. Watson turned the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, three loosely connected businesses that made electric punched-card machines, scales and time clocks, into the global leader in machines that tabulated and calculated everything from livestock to lunar orbits.

He embraced automation, mechanization and data-recording trends emerging at the turn of the century to meet the growing need across society for better ways to collect and manage information. “The world’s greatest salesman,” as the media would come to call him, taught a new generation of young professionals how to sell, a skill that would elevate the man himself from modest beginnings on... “Nothing came easy,” Watson would say of his early years, emphasizing how initiative and hard work pulled him out of early business setbacks and financial disadvantage. He never attended university, deciding instead to begin a hardscrabble rural sales career, where he developed an appreciation for the challenges and abilities of everyday people. These “bootstrap” beginnings built his faith in human agency, a guiding principle of the company. He encoded this belief in a simple set of values that, along with service to the customer and excellence in work, would form the bedrock of its culture.

Within a year of his arrival at C-T-R, in a 1915 talk with staff, he established the company’s first priority: the respect and nurturing of employees. Thomas J. Watson Sr. was a pioneering entrepreneur in the field of computing, best known for transforming International Business Machines (IBM) from a producer of accounting machines into a leader in the burgeoning computer industry. Born into an Irish-American family during the mid-19th century, Watson initially pursued a career in teaching before shifting to business, where he excelled in sales and management. His early work at National Cash Register (NCR) honed his skills and led to his reputation as a dynamic salesman and leader.

In 1914, Watson became president of the failing Computing Tabulating Recording Company (CTR), which he revitalized, ultimately merging it with IBM in 1924. Under his leadership, IBM became synonymous with innovation in business machines and computing, developing groundbreaking technologies such as the IBM 701. Watson's management style emphasized a familial culture among employees and a commitment to customer satisfaction, which contributed to the company's success. Beyond business, Watson was involved in philanthropy and public service, promoting education and international cooperation. His legacy includes a strong influence on corporate culture and the evolution of the computing industry, as well as a commitment to ethical business practices despite challenges he faced. Watson Sr.

passed away in 1956, leaving behind a lasting impact on both IBM and the broader technology landscape. Thomas J. Watson Sr., was one of the first entrepreneurs in computing. He built International Business Machines, now IBM, from a maker of accounting equipment into the dominant corporation in business machines before transitioning the company to computers and inexorably moving into worldwide dominance. He gave the company its succinct motto: “Think.” His forty-two years at IBM also saw the company struggle to adapt as rapidly as smaller competitors. Hamstrung by its very success, the organization's massiveness made rapid change difficult.

Still, he left a business that dominated the field the one against which others were forced to measure themselves. Thomas J. Watson was born into a family, descended from Scots, who came to the United States from Ireland during the potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century. The family business was lumber, and Thomas was exposed to business from an early age. His father wanted him to study law after he finished school, but he decided he would be a teacher instead. After spending a day as a teacher, however, he changed his mind, deciding to enter business.

His father required him to attend business school, which he did, finishing business and accounting courses at the Elmira School of Commerce and then, at age eighteen, becoming bookkeeper and sales clerk in Clarence... The sedentary office life failed to hold his attention, so he went on the road selling sewing machines and pianos. While he held their horses, he studied the techniques employed by veteran salesmen and soon overcame his initial lack of skill at sales. When he quit, the boss offered to sell him the business. Instead he went to National Cash Register in Buffalo, New York. Rising through the ranks to general sales manager, he sought to motivate his sales force and introduced the motto “Think,” which would become the internationally recognized byword of IBM.

American businessman who established the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). In 1913 Watson left a sales manager position at the National Cash Register Company (NCR) to become president of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, which made electrical punch-card computing systems. In 1924 the company changed its name to IBM, and went on to dominate the business machine industry in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1952 Watson turned the company over to his son, Thomas Jr. At the time of the elder Watson's death in 1956, IBM had 200 offices throughout the country and employed 60,000 people. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

"Thomas J. Watson, Sr ." Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. . Encyclopedia.com. 2 Dec. 2025 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Thomas J. Watson, Sr ." Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. . Encyclopedia.com. (December 2, 2025). https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thomas-j-watson-sr

"Thomas J. Watson, Sr ." Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. . Retrieved December 02, 2025 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thomas-j-watson-sr 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.

Thomas J Watson Sr Biography Facts Britannica Money

People Also Search

Thomas J. Watson, Sr. (born February 17, 1874, Campbell, New

Watson Left The National Cash Register In 1913. In 1914

In 1952 He Turned The IBM Presidency Over To His

Watson Fellowship, Which Offered College Graduates A One-year Grant For

Watson Was Born In Campbell, New York, In The State's