In the early 20th century, the Ensign Electric Calculating Machine heralded a seismic shift in automated computation, freeing accountants and clerks from the drudgery of manual calculation. The device was the brainchild of Emory Seymour Ensign (1878-1944) – a prolific yet little-known inventor and entrepreneur who helped pave the way for modern computing.
Who Was Emory Seymour Ensign?
Born in 1878 in Lena, Illinois, Emory Ensign would go on to dedicate his life to tinkering and inventing. Relatively scant historical information exists about Ensign‘s upbringing or early adulthood, though records indicate he married a Rose R. Fisher in 1901, settling down and starting a family in Illinois.
The first glimpse into Ensign‘s trailblazing work emerges in U.S. Patent No. 773,632, dated November 1st, 1904 – describing an "Adding and Subtracting Machine" featuring mechanical components geared towards business and accounting usage. This marked Ensign‘s inaugural step in eventually unleashing his pioneering electric calculating machine upon the world.
The Dawn of Automated Business Calculating
In the early 1900s, bookkeepers and accountants worldwide still relied extensively on manual paper and pen methods for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing figures. The work was time-consuming, monotonous, and error-prone.
A handful of basic mechanical calculators existed that could assist primarily with addition, but these devices were limited in speed and functionality. Ensign sought to change that – envisioning a motor-driven machine to fully automate all essential calculating procedures for business settings.
After filing patents in 1904 outlining conceptual calculating machines, Ensign spent the next several years turning theory into reality in his Illinois workshops. By 1909, the Ensign Electric Calculating Machine was complete and ready for commercial manufacturing.
Revolutionary Features
Ensign‘s innovative electric calculating machine thoroughly transformed accounting and numerical work via several groundbreaking features:
Fully Electric Operation: Powered by an electric motor, Ensign‘s machine significantly increased calculation speed and efficiency compared to existing mechanical designs.
Comprehensive Functionality: Users could swiftly perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – eliminating the need for separate devices or manual methods across essential mathematical operations.
Dual Input/Output: Twin input and output areas – the keyboard for entering numbers, and the mechanical counter to display results – enabled simultaneous viewing of calculations in progress for ease of use and accuracy.
Error Reduction: The complementary digit keyboard prevented accidental incorrect number entry. Self-correcting keys improved precision compared to purely mechanical alternatives prone to jamming issues.
Desktop Size: Though weighing over 30kg, Ensign‘s machine had a compact desktop footprint – enabling practical use in crowded accounting departments and offices.
Such innovations brought unprecedented automation, versatility and reliability to routine business calculating, cementing Ensign‘s technology as a transformational achievement.
Ensign‘s Calculating Machine Company
To manufacture and sell his state-of-the-art invention, Ensign founded the Ensign Manufacturing Company in 1909, based in Waltham, Massachusetts. His electric calculator initially retailed for $400, rising to $450 by 1924.
Ensign heavily advertised his namesake machine in publications like Popular Mechanics and System Magazine – touting its best-in-class adding capacity and utility for accountants. Ensign also targeted the British market, boasting the Royal Seal of Approval from King George V in 1924, indicating supply to the English monarchy.
Though Ensign sold his firm‘s operations in 1925, the Ensign Electric Calculating Machine remained in production under new ownership until the 1930s, cementing its status as an industry leader for the period.
Lasting Impact
While modest details exist on his personal life, Ensign‘s professional legacy looms large. Through ingenious innovation, he brought unprecedented automation and functionality to daily numerical work. In doing so, his calculating machine laid vital foundations for the evolution of computing technology in business settings and beyond.
Ensign died in obscurity in 1944, aged 66. But the ripple effect of his electromechanical contribution to computing history continued long thereafter. When examining antecedents to modern information technology, the pioneering Ensign Electric Calculating Machine clearly warrants appreciation and recognition.
