1907-1980

American Computer Engineer

John W. Mauchly was a pioneer of modern computing. In the 1940s Mauchly headed the project that produced the ENIAC, the world's first general purpose electronic digital computer. He also co-founded the nation's first commercial computer manufacturer.

John William Mauchly was in born on August 30, 1907, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where his father worked as a physicist at the prestigious Carnegie Institute. Mauchly received a solid scientific education at the McKinley Technical High School, and in 1925 was awarded the Engineering Scholarship of the State of Maryland. Two years after enrolling in an electrical engineering program at Johns Hopkins University, Mauchly transferred directly into a graduate program in physics. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1932.

Like many depression-era academics, Mauchly had difficulty finding a position at a major research institution. He ended...