Engineering research associates

Early computer manufacturing firm.

From the description of Engineering Research Associates records, 1945-1956. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62435921

During the Second World War, the Navy recognized that the computer, with its ability to rapidly manipulate data streams, was a natural tool for encoding and decoding enemy messages. In 1944 and 1945 it sponsored a number of research projects in this area. Its most successful unit was led by Commander Howard T. Engstrom, who before the war had been a professor of mathematics at Yale University and Lt. Commander William C. Norris, a former engineer at Westinghouse.

In January of 1946, Norris, Engstrom and John Parker, an investment banker with close ties to the military, established Engineering Research Associates, Inc., with the encouragment of Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. With a plant in St. Paul, Minn., it negotiated a consulting contract with the Navy to analyze its data processing needs. After this study was completed in 1947, ERA signed a contract with the Navy to develop a stored-program computer. This classified project was given the name Project Goldberg and in October 1950 ERA delivered the Atlas Computer, the first with stored-memory capability, to the Navy.

By 1952 ERA was under considerable economic pressure and it was forced to merge with Remington Rand. ERA initially became part of the Eckert-Mauchly Division. Then it was given semi-autonomous status, becoming the ERA Division. In 1955 it became part of the Univac Division and two years later regained its semi-autonomous status as it was renamed the Military Division.

From the description of Records, 1946-1953. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122396871