Thomas Watson was born on February 17, 1874 in New York. He grew up in the city of Campbell as a country boy. Thomas attended Adison Academy, and also took a short course in the Elmira School of Commerce and became a salesman in Painted Post, New York. In 1898, Watson was a salesman in the NCR (National Cash Register) Company. As the years passed he became a better salesman and was growing up the production of the company that he became the general sales manager. Having a dispute over a legal issue Thomas Watson left the National Cash Register Company in 1913.
He became part of a small firm called computing-Tabulating-Recording Company as the president in May …show more content…
“IBM owned and leased more than 90 percent of all tabulating machines in the United States at the time” (Wikipedia). This company became a virtual monopoly, because of its patents and because the firm chose to rent its equipment rather than sell it. Thomas Watson was elected president of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 1937. “World Peace Through World Trade” became the slogan of both the ICC and IBM” (Wikipedia). IBM was founded and had major plants that IBM provided land and funding for Triple Cities College. Then later became known as Harpur College and evolved into Binghamton University. Their School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is named the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, although the IBM plant in the neighboring city of Endicott has since downsized drastically (Wikipedia). Watson was presented with honorary degrees by 27 colleges and universities in the United States and four abroad. (IBM