Frank T. Cary (December 14, 1920 – January 1, 2006) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

executive and businessman. Cary served as the

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of IBM from 1973 to 1983 and

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from 1973 to 1981.

Early life and education

Frank Taylor Cary was born on December 14, 1920, in

Gooding, Idaho Gooding is the county seat and largest city of Gooding County, Idaho, Gooding County, Idaho, United States. The population was 3,567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is named for Frank R. Gooding, a local sheep rancher who ...

, the son of Dr. Frank T. Cary and Ida Hayden. After a short period of his birth, the family moved to

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 1943, then in 1948 earned his M.B.A. from

Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business (also known as Stanford GSB) is the graduate business school of Stanford University, a private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective business schoo ...

Career

IBM

Cary joined IBM in 1948 as a salesman in Los Angeles. He held a variety of management positions and became president of the Data Processing Division in 1964. Advancing through the management ranks, he became general manager of data processing and vice president after two years, then became a senior vice president in 1967, in the following year, he was appointed as a member of the board of directors, then joined the Corporate Office and the Management Review Committee. In January 1973, Cary was named Chairman and CEO. During his tenure as chief executive at IBM, he presided over a period of rapid growth in product, revenue and profit. His most notable accomplishment was recognizing that the

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

was going to be an emerging product category that could ultimately be a threat to IBM. Consequently, he forced the creation of a special, small dedicated group to spearhead an answer to

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

, within IBM but totally protected from the internal bureaucracy of a large corporation. He stepped down from his position in 1981, remained a director until 1991.

Boards and Committees

Cary was Chairman of biotechnology company

Celgene Corporation Celgene Corporation is a pharmaceutical company that makes cancer and immunology drugs. Its major product is Revlimid ( lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and also in certain anemias. The company is incorporated in ...

from 1986 to 1990. He was a member of the Steering Committee of the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defin ...

. He joined the MIT Corporation in 1974 and became a life member in 1984. He served on several committees, including the committee of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He served on the board of directors of

JP Morgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the wo ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...

, and others. He also served on boards of many nonprofit organizations, including the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

and

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classif ...

Personal life and death

He was married to Anne (Curtis) Cary. They raised three sons, and a daughter. His hobbies included skiing, tennis, and golf. He died at the age of 85, at his home in

Darien, Connecticut Darien ( ) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles, it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It has the youngest population of any n ...

, on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

2006.

References

External links

Official Biography on IBM website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Frank T. 1920 births 2006 deaths People from Gooding, Idaho IBM employees Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group People from Darien, Connecticut American technology chief executives American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies 20th-century American businesspeople Stanford University alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni