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Carl Hammer papers

 Collection
Identifier: CBI 3

Scope and Content Note

Conference presentations, professional organization materials, articles and speeches authored by Hammer, publications relating to Hammer, diaries and photographs. Conference presentations (1955-1989) include speeches given by Hammer, correspondence, and conference ephemera. Many of his presentations focused on the future of the computer and the effect of computers on society and management. Records of professional organizations (1967-1986) include minutes, correspondence, articles, reports, and meeting materials primarily relating to the American Federation of Information Processing Societies, Association for Computing Machinery, Data Processing Management Association, and the International Council for Computer Communication. Carl Hammer's diaries cover the period 1955 to 1980.

Dates

  • Creation: 1946-1992

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Access to materials:

Access to the collection is unrestricted.

Copyright:

The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Biographical Note

Carl Hammer was born in Chicago, Illinois, and educated in Germany. He received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Munich in 1938. He worked as a statistician before becoming chairman of the division of technical education at Walter Hervey Junior College in 1947. He became a research associate at Columbia University in 1950, where he did work in statistical modeling for the social sciences. Two years later he became a senior research engineer at the Franklin Institute. There he originally worked on analogue computers but soon became involved with digital systems. He was director of the UNIVAC European Computer Center 1955-1957, marketing and installing UNIVACs. He joined Sylvania's Programming and Analysis Department in 1957 to work on the Mobidic system, and worked on the ballistic missile early warning system. In 1959 he became administrative technical project coordinator for the Radio Corporation of America's Surface Communications Division, where he worked on Polaris communications, and IT

Bibliography:

  1. American Men and Women of Science. Jacques Cattell Press, ed. (New York: R.R. Bowker Co.) 1986.
  2. Hammer, Carl. Interviewed by James Ross. Tape recording. Washington, D.C., 15 April 1983. OH 56, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Extent

19 boxes (18 cubic feet)

Abstract

Collection contains conference presentations, professional organization materials, articles and speeches authored by Hammer, publications relating to Hammer, diaries and photographs. Conference presentations (1955-1989) include speeches given by Hammer, correspondence, and conference ephemera. Many of his presentations focused on the future of the computer and the effect of computers on society and management. Records of professional organizations (1967-1986) include minutes, correspondence, articles, reports, and meeting materials primarily relating to the American Federation of Information Processing Societies, Association for Computing Machinery, Data Processing Management Association, and the International Council for Computer Communication. The diaries cover the period 1955 to 1980.

Arrangement of Collection

The materials in this collection are arranged into the following groups:

  1. Conference Presentations, 1955-1982
  2. Records of Professional Societies, 1967-1984
  3. Professional Papers, 1951-1992
  4. Diaries, 1955-1980
  5. Audiovisual Materials, 1946-1988
  6. Miscellaneous Materials Related to Carl Hammer's Work, 1949-1990

Acquisition:

The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1992 by Carl Hammer.

Title
Carl Hammer Papers, 1946-1992. Finding Aid.
Author
Prepared by Bruce H. Bruemmer, Pat Hennessy, Kevin D. Corbitt and __? Rauen, August 1991. Updated by Karen Spilman, 2006.
Date
2004
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Charles Babbage Institute Archives Collecting Area

Contact:
Elmer L. Andersen Library
222 - 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55455
612-624-5050