Who Was Herman Hollerith?

The Man Who Revolutionized Data Processing

The Problem

The census. The United States Constitution requires that a census be taken every 10 years. The reason given is so that representation in the House of Representatives can be properly apportioned. The first census was taken in 1790 and as the years went by more and more information was required in addition to just counting. There were so much data collected in the census of 1880 that almost a full decade was needed to process all the results. If nothing changed the 1890 census would not be fully processed until well after the 1900 census started. Not a desirable situation.

Hollerith — The Early Years

Herman Hollerith was born in upstate New York in 1860. At age 19, he graduated from the Columbia University School of Mines with an engineering degree. He made an impression on Professor W.P. Trowbridge, who would later on hire him to work for the United States Census Office.

The Automated Looms of Nimes

Before we go on with Hollerith’s story, let’s take a short side trip to France. The city of Nimes in southern France is noted for weaving fabrics of all kinds (one of which bears its name — denim). Intricate patterns were almost impossible to produce prior to 1800 because a huge amount of effort would be needed to keep track of what colors should be woven where and how the over-under should be performed.