John Diebold
Encyclopedia
John Theurer Diebold was an early champion of widespread use of computing and automated technology.
. He graduated from Swarthmore College
in 1949 and Harvard Business School
in 1951. On November 22, 1951 he married Doris Hackett, and they had a daughter Joan.
He published his first of twelve books, Automation
, in 1952, which was based on a report he did while he was a student at the Harvard Business School. In it, he presented his vision of the use of programmable electronic systems for business.
Most people trace the use of the word "automation" to 1947, when Del Harder, vice president of production at Ford Motor Company, applied the concept to machine processes in automobile manufacture. The term came into broader use in Diebold's book, which used it in reference to information as well as machine processing.
He was fired from several jobs for refusing to "give up on his obsession with computer and automation". Considered ahead of his time, many of his ideas were widely implemented. In 1968, for instance, he championed automated teller machine
s (ATMs). That same year, he established an operating foundation, The Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies. Among its works was a case report on the impact of Silicon Alley
on the New York economy and the book 'Innovators'.
He died in Bedford Hills, New York
, of esophageal cancer, aged 79.
Additionally he edited the book, World of the Computer, for Random House in 1973
Early life
Diebold was born in Weehawken, New JerseyWeehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 12,554.-Geography:Weehawken is part of the New York metropolitan area...
. He graduated from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
in 1949 and 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...
in 1951. On November 22, 1951 he married Doris Hackett, and they had a daughter Joan.
He published his first of twelve books, Automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
, in 1952, which was based on a report he did while he was a student at the Harvard Business School. In it, he presented his vision of the use of programmable electronic systems for business.
Most people trace the use of the word "automation" to 1947, when Del Harder, vice president of production at Ford Motor Company, applied the concept to machine processes in automobile manufacture. The term came into broader use in Diebold's book, which used it in reference to information as well as machine processing.
Business career
He started a consulting company in the bedroom of his house in New Jersey, John Diebold & Associates, which through acquisitions morphed into The Diebold Group, an international organization.He was fired from several jobs for refusing to "give up on his obsession with computer and automation". Considered ahead of his time, many of his ideas were widely implemented. In 1968, for instance, he championed automated teller machine
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
s (ATMs). That same year, he established an operating foundation, The Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies. Among its works was a case report on the impact of Silicon Alley
Silicon Alley
Silicon Alley is a nickname for an area with a concentration of Internet and new media companies in Manhattan, New York City. Originally, the term referred to the cluster of such companies extending from the Flatiron District down to SoHo and TriBeCa along the Broadway corridor, but as the location...
on the New York economy and the book 'Innovators'.
He died in Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Bedford, New York.-History:When the railroad was built in 1847, Bedford Hills was known as Bedford Station. Bedford Hills extends from a business center at the railroad station to farms and estates, eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford...
, of esophageal cancer, aged 79.
Books
- Automation: The advent of the Automatic Factory, Van Nostrand, 1952
- Beyond Automation: Managerial Problems of an Exploding Technology, McGraw, 1964
- Man and the Computer: Technology as an Agent of Social Change, Praeger,1969
- Business Decisions and Technological Change, Praeger, 1970
- Making the future work: Unleashing our powers of innovation for the decades ahead, Simon and Schuster, 1984
- Managing Information: The Challenge and the Opportunity, Amacom Books, 1985
- Transportation Infostructures: The Development of Intelligent Transportation Systems. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1995
Additionally he edited the book, World of the Computer, for Random House in 1973
External links
- John Diebold as an author: John Diebold ist Mister Automation