Greenleaf Whittier Pickard - Second President of the Institute, 1913

Greenleaf Whittier Pickard was born in Portland, Maine on February 14, 1877. He is the grandnephew of the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. Mr. Pickard was educated at Westbrook Seminary, Westbrook, Maine; Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1898-99 he was with the Blue Hill Observatory doing experimental radio work. For several years he was research engineer for the American Wireless Telegraph and Telephone Company. In 1902-06 he was associated with the research department of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in radio telephony. He practiced consulting engineering in 1906-7. Since 1907 he has been a consulting engineer for and director of the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company of Boston. Mr. Pickard is well-known for his early inventions in connection with radio telephony, the crystal detector, loop aerials and direction-finding systems and various static mitigating devices used during the war. He has about one hundred United States and foreign patents. In 1926 the Institute Medal of Honor was awarded to Mr. Pickard. He has been a prolific contributor to the Proceedings of the Institute. Mr. Pickard is a Fellow of the Institute.