Ed Zschau
Encyclopedia
Edwin Van Wyck Zschau represented California
's 12th District
in the United States House of Representatives
from 1983-1987. In 1986 he ran as the Republican
candidate for a seat in the United States Senate
. He defeated conservative Bruce Herschensohn
in the primary but then lost to incumbent
Democrat
Alan Cranston
by a narrow margin.
Zschau briefly re-entered the political arena as the vice presidential running mate to former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm, a Democrat, who challenged Ross Perot
for the Reform Party
presidential nomination in 1996.
, Nebraska
. Zschau is currently a Visiting Lecturer with rank of Professor at Princeton University
in the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Operations Research and Financial Engineering, and in the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. Prior to his current post at Princeton, from 1997–2000, he was Professor of Management at the Harvard Business School
and a Visiting Professor at Princeton University
. Zschau's business experience is extensive. He founded and served from 1968-1981 as CEO of System Industries, a computer products company.
During the 1960s, Zschau was for five years an Assistant Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
, teaching courses in computer systems, management science, and business policy. In 1967-68 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Harvard Business School
where he taught the required first year MBA course in managerial economics. He has an A.B. degree (cum laude) in philosophy from Princeton University and M.B.A., M.S. (statistics), and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University
.
In 1987 Zschau became a general partner of Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, and in 1988, he was elected Chairman and CEO of Censtor Corp., a company which had been founded by Brentwood to develop advanced magnetic recording components for disk drives. He was recruited to be chairman and CEO of Adstar, the IBM
Storage Systems Division in 1993.
Zschau is also the Founding Chairman, Emeritus, and a member of the National Advisory Board of The Tech Museum of Innovation
in San Jose
, is on the Board of Scholars of the ACCF Center for Policy Research in Washington, D.C.
, and is a Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology. He serves as Chairman of the Board of NanoOpto Corporation, Princeton Power Systems, and StarTek, Inc.
(NYSE), President of Polyera Corporation, as a director of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (NYSE), and Washington Live, Inc.
Zschau and his wife, Jo, currently reside in Nantucket, Massachusetts
, and Los Altos, California
. They have one son, two daughters, and eight grandchildren.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's 12th District
California's 12th congressional district
California's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that spans from the southwestern portions of San Francisco in the north down to San Mateo in the south, and from Moss Beach in the west to the edge of San Mateo in the east, where it borders...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1983-1987. In 1986 he ran as the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for a seat in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He defeated conservative Bruce Herschensohn
Bruce Herschensohn
Stanley Bruce Herschensohn is an American political commentator and senior fellow at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy in Malibu, California....
in the primary but then lost to incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Alan Cranston
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
by a narrow margin.
Zschau briefly re-entered the political arena as the vice presidential running mate to former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm, a Democrat, who challenged Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
for the Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
presidential nomination in 1996.
Biography
Zschau was born in OmahaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Zschau is currently a Visiting Lecturer with rank of Professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Operations Research and Financial Engineering, and in the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. Prior to his current post at Princeton, from 1997–2000, he was Professor of Management at the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and a Visiting Professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Zschau's business experience is extensive. He founded and served from 1968-1981 as CEO of System Industries, a computer products company.
During the 1960s, Zschau was for five years an Assistant Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
, teaching courses in computer systems, management science, and business policy. In 1967-68 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
where he taught the required first year MBA course in managerial economics. He has an A.B. degree (cum laude) in philosophy from Princeton University and M.B.A., M.S. (statistics), and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
In 1987 Zschau became a general partner of Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, and in 1988, he was elected Chairman and CEO of Censtor Corp., a company which had been founded by Brentwood to develop advanced magnetic recording components for disk drives. He was recruited to be chairman and CEO of Adstar, the IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Storage Systems Division in 1993.
Zschau is also the Founding Chairman, Emeritus, and a member of the National Advisory Board of The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech Museum of Innovation, or simply The Tech, is a museum located in the heart of Silicon Valley, in downtown San Jose, California USA.-History:...
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, is on the Board of Scholars of the ACCF Center for Policy Research in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and is a Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology. He serves as Chairman of the Board of NanoOpto Corporation, Princeton Power Systems, and StarTek, Inc.
StarTek, Inc.
StarTek is a business process outsourcing company that was founded in Greeley, Colorado in 1987 as a packaging company, StarPak. Originally contracted to pack early versions of Microsoft word processors, it eventually expanded to provide customer support for the product...
(NYSE), President of Polyera Corporation, as a director of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (NYSE), and Washington Live, Inc.
Zschau and his wife, Jo, currently reside in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
, and Los Altos, California
Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
. They have one son, two daughters, and eight grandchildren.