J. Erik Jonsson | |
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| 49thMayor of Dallas | |
| In office 1964–1971 | |
| Preceded by | Earle Cabell |
| Succeeded by | Wes Wise |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Erik Jonsson (1901-09-06)6 September 1901 Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 31 August 1995(1995-08-31) (aged 93) |
| Spouse | Margaret |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BSME) |
| Known for | Co-founder ofTexas Instruments |
John Erik Jonsson (6 September 1901 – 31 August 1995) was an American businessman who was co-founder and early president ofTexas Instruments Incorporated. He becameMayor of Dallas, a position in which he became a major advocate for civic causes, including theDallas Fort Worth International Airport, and was aphilanthropist in his later years.
Erik Jonsson was born on 6 September 1901 in theBrooklynborough ofNew York City. His parents, John Peter and Ellen Charlotte (Palmquist) Jonsson, were both born inSweden and independently migrated to theUnited States in the prior decade. Both were naturalized citizens. Jonsson was an only child. The family moved in 1912 toMontclair,New Jersey, where at the age of sixteen Jonsson graduated fromMontclair High School. He was a graduate ofRensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), class of 1922 earning a degree inmechanical engineering, where he was a member ofAlpha Tau Omega. Jonsson married Margaret Fonde inKnoxville, Tennessee on 8 February 1923 and together they had three children.[1]
Jonsson began his career in 1922 atAlcoa as arolling mill apprentice, and advanced to the position of manufacturing superintendent of an Alcoa subsidiary, the Aluminum Index Company. He held the position from 1923 to 1927. In 1927 he left Alcoa and entered the auto business attempting aPontiac dealership, returning to Alcoa in 1929 as a sales engineer.[2]
During Jonsson's last year at Alcoa,J. Clarence Karcher, the husband of Mrs. Jonsson's cousin, occasionally asked Jonsson's assistance with expediting materials orders for a start-up company he had co-founded with petroleum geologists Eugene McDermott and Everette DeGolyer,Geophysical Service Incorporated, a pioneering provider ofseismic exploration services to thepetroleum industry. In June 1930 Karcher offered Jonsson a job managing the manufacture of seismic instruments at Karcher's company lab inNewark, New Jersey, and in July Jonsson again left Alcoa.[1]
In 1934, Jonsson and his family moved toDallas,Texas where GSI was now headquartered. Jonsson held the position of secretary of Geophysical Service, which gave him responsibility for all of the accounting, banking, international, legal, manufacturing, personnel, purchasing, and warehousing activities of the company. Jonsson held this position until 1939.[1]
In 1939, the company reorganized as Coronado Corp., an oil company with Geophysical Service Inc (GSI), now as a subsidiary. Jonsson became secretary-treasurer in 1939 as part of the reorganization. On 6 December 1941, Jonsson along with three other GSI employees,Eugene McDermott,Cecil H. Green, and H.B. Peacock purchased GSI. In 1942, he became vice president and treasurer. He held this position until 1951. DuringWorld War II, GSI builtelectronics for theUnited States ArmySignal Corps and theNavy. After the war, GSI continued to produce electronics. The rugged nature of equipment for the oil industry and of military equipment were similar and thus continued expansion into military contracts was a natural progression.
In 1951, the Geophysical Service changed its name toTexas Instruments; GSI becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the new company. Jonsson became president of Texas Instruments, a position he held until 1958. Jonsson was elected chairman of the board in 1958 and held this position until 1966. He became honorary chairman in 1966 through 1977.[1] Under Jonsson's leadership, TI invented the integrated circuit in 1958, the electronic hand held calculator in 1967, and the single chip microcomputer in 1971.[3]
Jonsson was a strong advocate for education, serving or leading on the boards of many educational institutions and created alliances to improve local educational facilities. Jonsson was a founder of theSouthwest Center for Advanced Studies, which became theUniversity of Texas at Dallas in 1969. Jonsson was the first president of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, as well as president of the powerful civic group, the Dallas Citizen's Council.[3]
It was Jonsson's unhappy task to take the podium on November 22, 1963, at the former Dallas Trade Mart to inform the waiting crowd of the motorcade shooting of President Kennedy and Governor Connally. Video/audio footage of this briefing exists.
In 1964, shortly after theassassination in Dallas ofPresidentJohn F. Kennedy, Jonsson became mayor of Dallas, Texas on February 3, 1964, completing the term of MayorEarle Cabell who had resigned to run for Congress. Elected to three additional terms, he worked to improve morale and the image of the city.[4] Jonsson pushed through a $175 million bond that financed a newcity hall, theDallas Convention Center and theDallas Central Library. He was a central leader in the development ofDallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and served as its first board chairman.[2][3]
Jonsson died of pneumonia at his home on 31 August 1995 and was buried at Dallas's Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park.[5] Memorial services attended by several ex-Mayors of Dallas were held for him on September 5 at Dallas's Highland Park United Methodist Church.[6][3][4]
Several facilities bear Jonsson's name in recognition of his contributions. These include theJ. Erik Jonsson Central Library inDallas, and the well-known Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at theUniversity of Texas at Dallas inRichardson. A trustee ofRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he helped fund major campus improvements, leading the institute to name theJonsson Engineering Center and Jonsson-Rowland Science Center in his honor. Along with two other founders of Texas Instruments, Cecil H. Green andEugene McDermott, Jonsson helped found the Excellence in Education Foundation which contributed $30 million to theUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 1991.[3] The J. Erik Jonsson Center of the National Academy of Sciences, overlooking Quissett Harbor in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, is also named in honor of Jonsson. He also served as a trustee of Margaret's alma materSkidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Although founded in 1912, Skidmore started a new 850-acre (3.4 km2) campus of which the Jonssons largely funded construction in the 1960s.
Jonsson was awarded the H. Neil Mallon Award by theWorld Affairs Council in 1987. The H. Neil Mallon Award, hosted by the World Affair Council of Dallas/ Fort Worth, is presented annually to individuals who have excelled at promoting the international focus of North Texas. The prestigious Mallon Award is named after the Council’s founder and is presented annually to individuals who have excelled in promoting the region’s international profile. Funds raised from this event support the World Affair Council’s public and education programming, international exchanges, and diplomatic services.
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