Watson, Thomas J., 1914-1993

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Thomas J. Watson, Jr., was born in New York on Jan. 8, 1914. His parents were Thomas J. Watson, Sr., and Jeanette Kittredge Watson. Watson, Sr. was the founder of International Business Machines (IBM). Thomas J. Watson, Jr., attended the Hun School in Princeton, N.J. He graduated from Brown University in 1937. After traveling in Europe and the Far East in 1937, Watson to went work as a sales representative for IBM. He married Olive Field Cawley in 1941.

During World War II, Watson joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a transport pilot. In January 1946, Watson resumed working at IBM. He served as President of the company from 1952 to 1956 and as Chief Executive Officer from 1956 to 1970. Watson served on executive boards and committees for numerous civic and private associations, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, the Smithsonian Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation. He served on the boards of various universities, including Brown University, Sarah Lawrence College, and the California Institute of Technology. Government committees on which Watson served included the President's Advisory Committee on Labor Management Policy (1961-1968); the President's Task Force on the War Against Poverty; and President Jimmy Carter's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament (1978-1979).

From October 1978 to January 1981, Watson served as United States Ambassador to the U.S.S.R.

Watson died on Dec. 31, 1993, in Armonk, New York.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Langton, York, 1903-1989. York Langton papers, 1960-1989. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
referencedIn New York Times Company records. Arthur Hays Sulzberger papers, 1823-1999 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Photographic File of the Paris Bureau of the New York Times, ca. 1900 - ca. 1950 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn R. Buckminster Fuller Papers Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993. Personal papers, 1948-1992. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Inventory to the Records of the Robert C. Clothier Administration, 1925-1952 Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Spilman, Robert B., 1919-2016. Papers, 1937-1971 University of West Florida Libraries
referencedIn Coupe, Anne Van Vechten. Speech, 1959. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn York Langton papers., 1960-1989. Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn American Foundations Oral History Project, 1989-1993 Indiana University, Bloomington. Center for the Study of History and Memory
referencedIn Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard M. Nixon. 1946 - 1963. General Correspondence Richard Nixon Library
referencedIn Clark M. Clifford Papers, 1883-1999, (bulk 1946-1998) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Books & Co. records, 1978-1997 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Carter White House Photographs Collection. 1/20/1977 - 1/22/1981. Carter White House Photographs: Presidential Jimmy Carter Library
creatorOf Watson, Thomas J., 1914-1993,. Oral history interview with Thomas J. Watson and James W. Birkenstock 1985 Apr. 25. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
referencedIn International Business Machines Corporation. Technical History Project. Oral histories, 1980-1991. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Computer & Communications Industry Association (U.S.). IBM antitrust trial records, 1969-1982. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 6/4/80 Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Legislation Case Files, August 9, 1974–January 20, 1977 Gerald R. Ford Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 5/30/80 [1] Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn National Foreign Trade Council. Captin Robert Dollar Memorial Award records, 1938-1983 Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Harvard University. Records relating to presentation of Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, 1944 August 7. Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Greer, Frances, 1917-. Frances Greer oral history interview, 1997. Louisiana State University, LSU Libraries
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 12/10/79 [4] Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Watson, Thomas J. : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn National Foreign Trade Council. Captin Robert Dollar Memorial Award records, 1938-1983 Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Hurd, Cuthbert Corwin, 1911-1996,. Oral history interview with Cuthbert Corwin Hurd, 1981 Jan. 20. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
referencedIn Rutgers University. Office of the President. Records of the Robert C. Clothier Administration, 1925-1952. Rutgers University
referencedIn Frederick Coykendall papers, 1923-1956 Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Name Files, 1945 - 1953 Harry S. Truman Library
referencedIn DeLamarter, Richard Thomas,. IBM antitrust suit records, 1950-1984. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn President's Official Files (Roosevelt Administration), 1933 - 1945. Franklin D. Roosevelt President's Official Files, 1933 - 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
referencedIn Baloković, Zlatko, 1895-1965. Zlatko Baloković papers, 1924-1965. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
referencedIn New York Times Company records. A.M. Rosenthal papers, 1955-1994, 1967-1986 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993. Papers, 1928-1968 (bulk 1942-1968). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Thomas J. Watson, Jr., papers Brown University Archives, John Hay Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of State. 1763 - 2002. Photographs and Biographic Information Related to Ambassadors, Secretaries of State, and Other State Department Officials National Archives at College Park
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Baloković, Zlatko, 1895-1965. person
associatedWith Birkenstock, James W. (James Warren), 1912- person
associatedWith Books & Co corporateBody
associatedWith Brown University corporateBody
associatedWith Carter, Jimmy, 1924- person
correspondedWith Clifford, Clark M., 1906-1998. person
associatedWith Computer & Communications Industry Association (U.S.). corporateBody
associatedWith Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Coupe, Anne Van Vechten. person
associatedWith Coykendall, Frederick, 1872-1954. person
associatedWith DeLamarter, Richard Thomas, person
associatedWith Dirks, Gerhard H. person
associatedWith Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983 person
associatedWith Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993. person
associatedWith Greer, Frances, 1917- person
associatedWith Harvard University. corporateBody
associatedWith Hollerith, Herman. person
associatedWith Humphreys, Arthur L. C., person
associatedWith Hurd, Cuthbert Corwin, 1911-1996, person
associatedWith Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory corporateBody
associatedWith International Business Machines Corporation. corporateBody
associatedWith International Business Machines Corporation. Technical History Project. corporateBody
associatedWith International Computers and Tabulators, ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith International Computers, ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973. person
associatedWith Kennedy family. family
associatedWith Langton, York, 1903-1989 person
associatedWith Langton, York, 1903-1989. person
associatedWith Martin, Cyril H., 1905- person
associatedWith National Cash Register Comapny. corporateBody
associatedWith National Foreign Trade Council. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Times Company corporateBody
associatedWith Percy, Charles H., 1919-2011. person
associatedWith Phillpotts, Ralegh Buller. person
associatedWith President's Advisory Committee on Labor-Management Policy. corporateBody
associatedWith President's Task Force on the War Against Poverty. corporateBody
associatedWith Rosenthal, A. M. (Abraham Michael), 1922-2006 person
associatedWith Rutgers University. Office of the President corporateBody
associatedWith Rutgers University. Office of the President. corporateBody
correspondedWith Spilman, Robert B. person
associatedWith Thomas, Lowell, 1892-1981. person
associatedWith United States. Congress. Senate. General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament. corporateBody
associatedWith Watson, Thomas John, 1874-1956. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Armonk NY US
New York City NY US
United States 00 US
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Subject
Ambassadors
Arms control
Businessmen
Businessmen
Computer industry
Computer industry
Executives
Logbooks
Office equipment and supplies industry
Skiing
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
Yachts and yachting
Occupation
Chief Executive Officer
Diplomats
Activity

Person

Birth 1914-01-08

Death 1993-12-31

Americans

English

Information

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