John H. Hammond, Jr., 1888 - 1965

John H. Hammond, Jr. (A'12-M'14- 'M'43) was born in San Francisco, Calif., on 13 April 1888. He received the B.S. degree from Yale University in 1910 and the Sc. D. degree from George Washington University in 1919.

Hammond received over four hundred and twenty U. S. patents, which underlie much of modern electronic technology. The U. S. Government acquired rights in over ninety of these for radio-dynamic purposes, and Radio Corporation of America (RCA) acquired rights in over one hundred and sixty for radio-electronic purposes. Hammond also pioneered in the application of electronics in various other fields. Especially well known are the "Dynamic Amplifier" for expansion, compression, and noise reduction in audio systems; the "Accentor" for improving the tonal performance of pipe organs; and the "Telespot" for the momentary injection of a high-speed confidential facsimile service into a television channel with automatic reception, recording, processing and display.

From 1912 until 1928, the Hammond Laboratory was in a building above the rocky Gloucester coastline, in Massachusetts, where much pioneering work in radio was accomplished. From 1928 on the setting of Hammond's work was a medieval castle-museum on the same Gloucester coastline property. In the Great Hall of the castle is the magnificent 10,000-pipe organ designed by Hammond and built over a period of 20 years. The Great Hall has been used for recordings by some of the major record companies, and some of the greatest organists in the world have played there.

Hammond did extensive work for the U.S. military services starting in 1912 when the chief of Coast Artillery for the Army witnessed in Gloucester the successful radio control of a boat from shore. During both world wars, the Hammond group developed radio and other remote control systems applicable to waterborne and airborne missiles.

Hammond helped develop some of the stabilization and homing principles used in modern missiles. In communications, the Hammond group contributed to development of the triode for amplification purposes, the i-m principle for selectivity, and of f-m techniques for broadcasting and telephony.

The list of Hammond colleagues, correspondents and consultants over the years reads like a roster of the radio-electronic pioneers: de Forest, Alexanderson, Tesla, Lowenstein, G. W. Pierce, Langmuir, David Sarnoff. Harvard's Dr. E. L. Chaffee became a consultant to the Hammond Laboratory as early as 1918.

Hammond received the IRE Medal of Honor in 1963, "For pioneering contributions to circuit theory and practice, to the radio control of missiles and to basic communication methods." He passed away on 12 February 1965 in New York City.