Conrad Newton Lauer (1869 – 1943) was an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

, general manager at Day & Zimmerman, Inc., chairman of the Philadelphia Gas Works Co., and 51st president of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

in 1932–33.

Biography

Youth, education and early career

Lauer was born on November 25, 1869, in Three Tuns, Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County to Herman Lauer and Margaret Lukens (Clayton) Lauer. His grandfather John G. Lauer had settled there around 1850, having emigrated from Stuttgart, Germany.''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography,'' Volume 32. J. T. White, 1891; 1967. p. 218 In his native county Lauer attended public and private schools, and subsequently received his technical training under private tutors. In 1893 he started his career in the industry as clerk at the Link-Belt Company in Philadelphia, now the

FMC Corporation FMC Corporation is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer in 1883 and later diversified into other industries. In 1941 at the beginning of US involvemen ...

, and worked his way up to superintendent until 1902. In those days he assisted several consulting engineers with the introduction of

scientific management Scientific management is a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows. Its main objective is improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineer ...

methods.

Later career

In 1902 Lauer joined as industrial engineer the new engineering company Dodge & Day, founded by Charles Day and Ken Dodge, son of

James Mapes Dodge James Mapes Dodge (Manhattan, June 30, 1852 – Germantown, Philadelphia, December 4, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, industrialist and president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in the year 1903–1904. He is k ...

. In 1916 the company proceeded as Day & Zimmerman, Inc., where Lauer was appointed secretary and general manager. In the 1920s Lauer was appointed chairman of the Philadelphia Gas Works,West, F., and H. Farrer. "Power group and other group activities of the Institute's New York section." Electrical Engineering 55.4 (1936): 421-423. and he later served as chairman of the board of the Philadelphia Gas Works Co. In the 1930s Lauer was also Vice-President and Director of the United Gas Improvement Company, and a Director of the Welsbach Company, of Baldwin Locomotive Works, and of Sharp and Dohme, Inc.''Journal of the Franklin Institute,'' Vol. 236, 1943. p. 399 In 1929 Lauer was the donor of the Hoover Medal, named after and first awarded to

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

.History of the Hoover Medal
at asme.org. Accessed 2017-09-12 In 1930 Lauer was awarded an honorary M.E. degree from the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

. In 1932-33 he served as president of the

. Lauer died on August 2, 1943.

Selected publications

* Conrad Newton Lauer. ''Engineering in American industry; the development of industry in these United States during one hundred and twenty years.'' Volume I and II. McGraw-Hill book company, inc., 1924. * Conrad Newton Lauer. ''John Ericsson, engineer, 1803-1889,'' Newcomen Society American Branch, 1939. * Conrad Newton Lauer.
William Penn's Philadelphia--in 1840
'' Newcomen Society American Branch, 1940. ;Selected articles * Conrad N. Lauer.
The Importance of Cost-Keeping To the Manufacturer
" ''The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,'' 22.3 (1903): 47–57. * Lauer, Conrad Newton. "Plant Engineering as a Service to Production Management." ''The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.'' 119.1 (1925): 97-102.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauer, Conrad Newton 1869 births 1943 deaths American mechanical engineers Columbia University alumni People from Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Engineers from Pennsylvania