Robert E. Doherty (1885–1950) was an American

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

who served as the third

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Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

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Early life

Doherty was born in

Clay City, Illinois Clay City is a village in Clay County, Illinois, United States. The population was 847 at the 2020 census. Clay City was named for the Kentucky statesman Henry Clay. Geography Clay City is located in southeastern Clay County at (38.686883, -88. ...

, then a rural area without electricity or a telegraph office. When electricity was introduced there, it fascinated him. He began to learn telegraphy while in high school and after graduation, worked as a telegrapher for the

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. He saved his money to attend prep school. At age 21 he enrolled in the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

hoping to study electrical engineering. He attended a lecture during his freshman year by

Charles Steinmetz Charles Proteus Steinmetz (born Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz, April 9, 1865 – October 26, 1923) was a German-born American mathematician and electrical engineer and professor at Union College. He fostered the development of alternating ...

of the

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. It inspired him to take a position at GE after graduation. By 1918 Steinmetz promoted Doherty to be his assistant, and he served in this role until Steinmetz's death in 1923. Doherty next became a full-time consulting engineer at GE and began to teach problem-solving courses within the company to newly hired engineers. During this time Doherty continued his studies and earned an

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

took its toll on GE, however, and Doherty accepted an offer from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He became dean of the

Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science is the engineering school Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and build ...

in 1932. In 1936, he accepted the presidency at Carnegie Institute of Technology, today's Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Tech years

Doherty's administration stressed graduate education. During his tenure the number of graduate students increased from 45 to 369. He also implemented an approach to undergraduate education in the 1940s called the "Carnegie Plan", a philosophy in which "students were taught to apply fundamental knowledge to solve practical problems and were required to learn about and appreciate academic disciplines outside their primary area of study". Doherty was unpopular with many students, however, when he de-emphasized football at Tech in the late 1930s, despite the national success of the team. He retired from Carnegie Tech in 1950 and died later that year at his home in

Scotia, New York Scotia is a village in Schenectady County, New York, United States, incorporated in 1904. The population was 7,729 at the 2010 census. Scotia is part of the town of Glenville, and is connected with the city of Schenectady by the Western Gatewa ...

. Doherty Hall, home of the Department of Chemical Engineering as well as

Mellon College of Science The Mellon College of Science (MCS) is part of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. The college is named for the Mellon family, founders of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, a predecessor of Carnegie Mellon Unive ...

labs, and the Doherty Apartment dorms on Carnegie Mellon's campus are named for him.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Robert Presidents of Carnegie Mellon University 1885 births 1950 deaths People from Clay County, Illinois Union College (New York) alumni Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science faculty IEEE Lamme Medal recipients