Bancroft Gherardi Jr. (April 6, 1873 – August 14, 1941) was a noted
American electrical engineer, known for his pioneering work in developing the early telephone systems in the United States. Recognized as one of the foremost authorities in telephone engineering, Gherardi was instrumental in developing the transcontinental telephone service in 1915 and the trans-Atlantic radio telephone service in 1927. He was awarded the
IEEE Edison Medal
The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this fi ...
in 1932 for "contributions to the art of telephone engineering and the development of electrical communication".
Education and service
Gherardi was born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
on April 6, 1873, son of
Bancroft and Anna Talbot (Rockwell) Gherardi. Gherardi received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...
in 1891, and his M.E. and M.M.E degrees from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in 1893 and 1894, respectively. He received an honorary D. Eng. degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1933.
Work
Gherardi is widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities on early telephone engineering for his role in several landmark projects such as the transcontinental telephone service in 1915 and the trans-Atlantic radio telephone service in 1927. He also personally supervised the construction of a "loaded" cable between New York City and Newark, New Jersey, the first such application based on the invention of
Michael I. Pupin that improved the transmission on telephone circuits.
Gherardi was a fellow of the
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Insti ...
, and served as its president from 1927 to 1928. He was a member of the
United Engineering Society,
American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
American Standards Association,
New York Electrical Society, and the
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...
. He was also inducted into the
National Academy of Sciences, and served as the president of the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn's alumni association.
References
External links
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gherardi, Bancroft Jr.
1873 births
1941 deaths
Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
American electrical engineers
American people of Corsican descent
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni
19th-century American engineers
20th-century American engineers
Engineers from California
People from San Francisco
IEEE Edison Medal recipients