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Arthur Hamerschlag

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American engineer

Arthur Hamerschlag
President of Carnegie Mellon University
In office
1903–1922
Personal details
BornArthur Arton Hamerschlag
(1872-11-22)November 22, 1872
Nebraska, New York, US
DiedJuly 20, 1927(1927-07-20) (aged 54)
New York, New York, US
Resting placeHomewood Cemetery
Spouse Elizabeth Ann Tollast ​ ​(m. 1901)​
Children1
OccupationElectrical and mechanical engineer
Hamerschlag Hall, named for Carnegie Mellon's first president

Arthur Arton Hamerschlag (November 22, 1872 – July 20, 1927) was an American electrical and mechanical engineer who served as the first President of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

Early life

Arthur Hamerschlag was born in Nebraska on November 22, 1872, to immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He graduated in 1889 with a specialization in electricity, and did field work working on electric plants in Cuba, Mexico, and throughout the U.S. Back in New York City he worked for both St. George's Trade School and the New York Trade School. His reputation there brought him to the attention of Andrew Carnegie, who was looking for leadership for his new educational venture in Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Tech years

Carnegie and William H. Frew, chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Carnegie Institute and Carnegie's lawyer in Pittsburgh, hired Hamerschlag in 1903 as the first director of the fledgling Carnegie Technical Schools, as the project was first called. Its aim was not to compete with the nearby University of Pittsburgh, but to provide practical vocational training in the industrial trades and to offer 3-year diplomas, not bachelor's degrees. And so the building of the campus began, and the hiring of faculty, and the school was launched.

Ledge House, home of A. A. Hammerschlag, designed for him by Henry Hornbostel
Ledge House, Pittsburgh home of A. A. Hamerschlag, designed for him by Henry Hornbostel

Hamerschlag built the campus in partnership with Carnegie himself and the architect Henry Hornbostel. While the campus grew, the school found it difficult to compete. Industrial unions had their own apprenticeship programs, and it was challenging to attract and retain faculty, most of whom preferred to work for degree-granting institutions. So in 1912, the Carnegie Technical Schools were renamed Carnegie Institute of Technology. Hamerschlag then led the development of bachelor's and master's degree programs, and the college took off.

When Andrew Carnegie died in 1919, the funding of the college, which had come from Carnegie himself, came under scrutiny by the estate, now controlled by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. It commissioned a survey in 1921 and the report recommended that the college broaden its sources of funds for the future. Hamerschlag, who did not have a seat on the board, felt excluded from the decision and the new direction being charted. He resigned in 1922.

He returned to New York and reestablished an engineering practice.

Personal life

Hamerschlag married Elizabeth Ann Tollast on December 22, 1901, and they had one son.

Hamerschlag died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on July 20, 1927. He was buried at Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

At Carnegie Mellon, Hamerschlag's name is still honored through Hamerschlag Hall, the home of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well as Hamerschlag House, a freshman dorm which was all-male since its founding in the 1960s but was made co-ed in 2018.

References

  1. Rook, Charles Alexander, ed. (1923). Western Pennsylvanians: A Work for Newspaper and Library Reference. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Western Pennsylvania Biographical Association. pp. 344, 378. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "Dr. Hamerschlag, Noted Educator and Engineer, Dies". Brooklyn Eagle. July 20, 1927. p. 2. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Tech Will Honor Dr. Hamerschlag by Closing Two Days". The Pittsburgh Post. July 22, 1927. p. 8. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

  • Fenton, Edwin (2000). Carnegie Mellon 1900-2000: A Centennial History. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press. ISBN 0-88748-323-2.
Academic offices
New office Carnegie Mellon University President
1903–1922 		Succeeded byThomas Baker
Presidents of Carnegie Mellon University
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