In examining the life and contributions of Herman Hollerith, two things become immediately apparent, he was both incredibly petulant and incredibly intelligent. While Hollerith may be considered an imaginative inventor, he would likely not be seen as an astute business man. Both his business and personal relationships were marked by acrid disagreements. Yet the strength of his most famous invention, the Hollerith Electric Tabulating System, his own commitment to excellence, and the abilities of those with whom he joined forces, brought him the financial success he likely deserved.
Born in Buffalo New York in 1860, Hollerith advanced rapidly through school. He graduated from Columbia University School of Mines at the age of 19 as an Engineer in Mines. It is interesting to note that Hollerith could have easily slipped into anonymity within the mining industry, academic community, U.S. Patent Office, business world, or even within the Census Bureau. Perhaps a strongly individualist streak, an inability to feel comfortable in subordinate positions, or simply fate, kept Hollerith from obscurity (Art of compiling..., 1990).
Regardless of his degree in mining, he was never to work in that industry. Instead, soon after his graduation he granted the request of a former professor and began work at the U.S. Census Bureau (Biles, Bolton, & DiRe, 1989).
Rather than living out his days as a government employee, Hollerith left the Census Bureau after three years to be an engineering instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Such a position was at least somewhat prestigious and financially rewarding for an average adult. But Hollerith was not average; he was a mere 22 years of age when he began teaching, and 23 when he decided to do it no longer. Hollerith had no desire to teach the same material for years on end, but during his year at MIT he did begin work on an idea that would become the central preoccupation of th...