Laurens Hammond
| Laurens Hammond | |
|---|---|
Hammond with his 3D glasses
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| Born |
January 11, 1895 Evanston, Illinois |
| Died | July 3, 1973 (aged 78) Cornwall, Connecticut |
| Education | Cornell University |
| Parent(s) | William Andrew and Idea Louise Strong Hammond |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Mechanical engineering |
| Projects | Hammond organ, Hammond clock |
Laurens Hammond (January 11, 1895 – July 3, 1973), was an American engineer and inventor. His inventions include, most famously, the Hammond organ, the Hammond Clock, and the world's first polyphonic musical synthesizer, the Novachord.
Laurens Hammond was born in Evanston, Illinois, to William Andrew and Idea Louise Strong Hammond. Laurens showed his great technical prowess from an early age. His father, William, took his own life in 1898, ostensibly due to the pressures of running the First National Bank, which he had founded. Upon her husband's death, Idea, who was an artist, relocated to France with Laurens to further her studies. It was during their stay in France that Laurens began developing many of his early inventions.
When the family returned to Evanston, Laurens, then 14, was as fluent in French and German as he was in his native tongue. By this time, he had already designed a system for automatic transmission for automobiles. At his mother's suggestion, he submitted his designs to engineers at French automaker Renault, only to be rejected.
Hammond studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University, and was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He graduated with honors in 1916. At this time most thoughts were concentrated on the ongoing World War I, and Hammond made his contribution to the war effort, serving with the 16th Regiment Engineers (Railway), American Expeditionary Force, in France.
Following this, Hammond moved to Detroit, where he was fortunate to occupy the post of chief engineer for the Gray Motor Company, a manufacturer of marine engines. A partner in the company, Col. John H. Poole, with whom Hammond had served in France, knew of his engineering skills, and paid him an extra $300 a week under the table to stay with Gray Motor. In 1919, Hammond invented a silent spring-driven clock. This invention brought him enough money to leave Gray Motor Company and rent his own space in New York City.
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