IEEE Twin Cities Section History

Brief History

In 1902, the AIEE formulated rules for the establishment of Sections and Student Branches outside of New York. At that time, a group of electrical engineers in the Twin Cities, including George Shepardson, Edward Burch, Frank Springer and Charles Pillsbury requested the institute to establish a Section in their area.

On April 7, 1902, a charter was issued for a Minnesota Section, covering the territory: part of Wisconsin, Minnesota and North and South Dakota. Dr. George Shepardson was the Chairman from 1902 to 1905. This was the second Section of the Institute, Chicago being the first.

The Twin Cities Section is old enough that it also has origins in the IRE. The Twin Cities Section of the IRE was established in 1941 with C.A. Culver as Chairman. The Territory of the Section was quite similar to the Minnesota Section of the AIEE.

When the AIEE and IRE merged in 1963, the Twin Cities Sections of the previously separate organizations did so as well. Thus the Twin Cities Section of the IRE and the Minnesota Section of the AIEE became the Twin Cities Section of the IEEE. Mr. Al Martin was the Chairman of the IRE Section and Mr. Don Peterson was the Chairman of the AIEE Section and by a flip of the coin Mr. Peterson became the first Chairman of the merged Sections. As of 1984, the membership was approximately 3,000.

The section maintains a list of its past officers, from 1902 to present, on its website.

Women in Engineering in the Twin Cities

In 1993, the Twin Cities Section commemorated women in engineering in the section. Below are pictures documenting the exhibit. 

AIEE Minnesota Section Officers

Year	Chair	Secretary
1904-1905	George D. Shepardson	E.P. Burch
1906	Edward P. Burch	Barry Dibble
1907	H.J. Gille	Barry Dibble
1908	E.H. Schofield	A.L. Abbott
1909	Barry Dibble	J.C. Vincent
1910	J.C. Vincent	J.H. Schumacher
1911	Chas. L. Pillsbury	Thomas M. Gibbs
1912	A.L. Abbott	Fred A. Otto
1913	W.T. Ryan	Fred G. Dustin
1914	Leo H. Cooper	Emil Anderson
1915	E.T. Street	Walter J. Beckjord
1916	R.A. Lundquist	Vernon S. Beck
1917	F.W. Springer	A.B. King
1918-1919	Meyer Barnert	J.D. Marshall
1920	J.D. Marshall	Geo. R. Jones
1921	W.T. Ryan	F.A. Otto
1922	Fred A. Otto	H.W. Meyer
1923	H.W. Meyer	N.W. Kingsley
1924	E.H. Scofield	Allen Dewars
1925	A.G. Dewars	J.E. Sumpter
1926	S.B. Hood	M.E. Todd
1927	J.E. Sumpter	Gilbert Cooley
1928	M.E. Todd	V.E. Engquist
1929	V.E. Engquist	Oscar Gaarden
1930	D.K. Lewis	H.J. Pierce
1931	Oscar Gaarden	E.H. Hagensick
1932	H.J. Pierce	R.R. Herrmann
1933	E.H. Hagensick	P.G. Bowman
1934	R.R. Herrmann	J.H. Kuhlmann
1935	P.G. Bowman	Andrew Nelson
1936	J.H. Kuhlmann	C.H. Nelson
1937	A. Nelson	I.B. Garthus
1938	C.H. Nelson	R.E. Burlingame
1939	I.B. Garthus	K.J. Mertz
1940	R.E. Burlingame	H.E. Hartig
1941	K.J. Mertz	W.H. Gille
1942	Wm. Endicott	C.W. Lethert
1943	W.H. Gille	L.A. Griffith
1944	C.W. Lethert	F.W. Hotchkiss
1945	Leroy A. Griffith	John H. Merriman
1946	H.E. Hartig	Donald C. Gray
1947	John H. Merriman	Lincoln A. Rietow
1948	Harry P. Bruncke	Albert J. Hendry
1949	Lincoln Rietow	R.E. Willey
1950	A.J. Hendry	G.G. Germain
1951	G.B. Germain	R.M. Kalb
1952	E.A. Wilson	P.A. Cartwright
1953	R.E. Willey	J.J. Rudolf, Jr.
1954	P.A. Cartwright	R.G. Lynn
1955	J.J. Rudolf	S.N. Witts
1956	R.G. Lynn	J.H. Forchtner
1957	Seth N. Witts	H.W. Ecker
1958	James Forchtner	C.A. Fagrelius
1959	H.W. Ecker	E.C. Davidson
1960-1961	C.A. Fagrelius	L.A. Helling
1962	L.A. Helling	L.H. Youngborst

Further Reading

Link to Section Homepage

IEEE Geographic Unit Organizing Document - Twin Cities 

IEEE_Geographic_Unit_Organizing_Document_-_Twin_Cities.pdf