ASME Presidents
ASME was founded in 1880 to provide a forum for engineers to discuss the concerns brought by the global rise of industrialization and mechanization. The founders were among the more prominent machine builders and technical innovators of the late nineteenth century.
Robert Henry Thurston
1880-82
Our 1st president, Robert Henry Thurston served 1880-82. Since then, new presidents have been elected each year, a rotation that continually brings fresh ideas and new energy to ASME's mission.
Fredrick Taylor
1906-07
Some presidents attained prominence both in and beyond the mechanical engineering profession. Frederick Taylor, our 25th president, had a revolutionary impact on mass production and high-speed steel development.
George Westinghouse
1910-11
George Westinghouse, our 29th president, held more than 400 patents, including a signal American contribution to rail technology: the air brake.
Elmer Sperry
1929-30
Elmer Sperry, our 48th president, founded eight manufacturing companies and also held more than 400 patents, including a gyrocompass and a nonmagnetic navigational aid.
Other presidents were well known in their time, though less familiar today. All, however, were leading mechanical engineers and contributors to the common good. And they all healped advance the Society's professional and public service goals.
In general, ASME presidents remain involved after their terms end. The Committee of Past Presidents provides a significant advisory asset to the Society's current leadership.
| Robert Henry Thurston (1880-82) | Frederick S. Blackall Jr. (1953-54) |
| E. D. Leavitt (1883-84) | L. K. Sillcox (1954-55) |
| John E. Sweet (1884-85) | D. W. R. Morgan (1955-56) |
| J. E. Holloway (1885-86) | Joseph W. Barker (1956-57) |
| Coleman Sellers (1886-87) | Wm. F. Ryan (1957-58) |
| George H. Babcock (1887-88) | James N. Landis (1958-59) |
| Horace See (1888-89) | Glenn B. Warren (1959-60) |
| Henry R. Towne (1889-90) | Walker L. Cisler (1960-61) |
| Oberlin Smith (1890-91) | Wm. H. Bryne (1961-62) |
| Robert W. Hunt (1891-92) | Clifford H. Shumaker (1962-63) |
| Charles H. Loring (1892-93) | Ronald B. Smith (1963-64) |
| Eckley B. Coxe (1893-94) | D. Elmer Bergman (1964-65) |
| E. F. C. Davis (1894-95) | Henry N. Muller (1965-66) |
| Charles E. Billings (1895-96) | James H. Harlow (1966-67) |
| John Fritz (1896-97) | Louis N. Rowley Jr. (1967-68) |
| Worcester R. Warner (1897-98) | George F. Habach (1968-69) |
| Charles Wallace Hunt (1898-99) | Donald E. Marlowe (1969-70) |
| George W. Melville (1899-1900) | Allen F. Rhodes (1970-71) |
| Charles H. Morgan (1900-1901) | Kenneth A. Roe (1971-72) |
| S. T. Wellman (1901-1902) | Richard G. Folsom (1972-73) |
| Edwin Reynolds (1902-1903) | Daniel C. Drucker (1973-74) |
| James M. Dodge (1903-1904) | Richard B. Robertson (1974-75) |
| Ambrose Swasey (1904-1905) | Charles L. Tutt Jr. (1975-76) |
| John R. Freeman (1905-1906) | Earle C. Miller (1976-77) |
| Frederick W. Taylor (1906-1907) | Stothe P. Kezios (1977-78) |
| F. R. Hutton (1907-1908) | Orval L. Lewis (1978-79) |
| Minard L. Holman (1908-1909) | Donald N. Zwiep (1979-80) |
| Jesse M. Smith (1909-1910) | Charles E. Jones (1980-81) |
| George Westinghouse (1910-11) | Robert B. Gaither (1981-82) |
| E.D. Meier (1911-12) | Serge Gratch (1982-83) |
| Alex. C. Humphreys (1912-13) | Frank M. Scott (1983-84) |
| W. F. M. Goss (1913-14) | George Kotnick (1984-85) |
| James Hartness (1914-15) | Leroy S. Fletcher (1985-86) |
| John A. Brashear (1915-16) | Nancy D. Fitzroy (1986-87) |
| David S. Jacobus (1916-17) | Richard Rosenberg (1987-88) |
| Ira N. Hollis (1917-18) | Ernest L. Daman (1988-89) |
| Charles T. Main (1918-19) | Charles O. Velzy (1989-90) |
| Mortimer E. Cooley (1919-20) | Arthur E. Bergles (1990-91) |
| Fred J. Miller (1920-21) | Nathan H. Hurt (1991-92) |
| Edwin S. Carman (1921-22) | Joseph A. Falcon (1992-93) |
| Dexter S. Kimball (1922-23) | John H. Fernandes (1993-94) |
| John L. Harrington (1923-24) | Paul J. Torpey (1994-95) |
| Fred R. Low (1924-25) | Daniel T. Koenig (1995-96) |
| Wm. F. Durand (1925-26) | Richard J. Goldstein (1996-97) |
| Wm. L. Abbott (1926-27) | Keith B. Thayer (1997-98) |
| Charles M. Schwab (1927-28) | Winfred M. Phillips (1998-99) |
| Alex Dow (1928-29) | Robert E. Nickell (1999-2000) |
| Elmer A. Sperry (1929-30) | John R. Parker (2000-2001) |
| Charles Piez (1930-31) | William A. Weiblen (2001-2002) |
| Roy V. Wright (1931-32) | Susan H. Skemp (2002-2003) |
| Conrad N. Lauer (1932-33) | Reginald I. Vachon (2003-2004) |
| A. A. Potter (1933-34) | Harry Armen (2004-2005) |
| Paul Doty (1934) | Richard E Feigel (2005-2006) |
| Ralph E. Flanders (1934-36) | Terry E. Shoup (2006-2007) |
| Wm. Batt (1936-37) | Sam Y. Zamrik (2007-2008) |
| James H. Herron (1937-38) | Thomas M. Barlow (2008-2009) |
| Harvey N. Davis (1938-39) | Amos E. Holt (2009-2010) |
| Alexander G. Christie (1939-40) | Robert T. Simmons (2010- 2011) |
| Warren H. McBryde (1940-41) | Victoria Rockwell (2011-2012) |
| Wm. A. Hanley (1941-42) | Marc Goldsmith (2012-2013) |
| James W. Parker (1942-43) | Madiha Kotb (2013-2014) |
| H. V. Coes (1943-44) | J. Robert Sims (2014-2015) |
| R. M. Gates (1944-45) | Julio C. Guerrero (2015-2016) |
| Alex D. Bailey (1945-46) | K. Keith Roe (2016-2017) |
| D. R. Yarnall (1946-47) | Charla K. Wise (2017-2018) |
| Eugene W. O'Brien (1947-48) | Said Jahanmir (2018-2019) |
| E. G. Bailey (1948-49) | Richard Laudenat (2019-2020) |
| James Todd (1949-50) | Bryan A. Erler (2020-2021) |
| James I. Cunningham (1950-51) | Mahantesh Hiremath (2021-2022) |
| J. Calvin Brown (1951-52) | Karen Ohland (2022-2023) |
| R. J. S. Pigott (1952-53) | Thomas R. Kurfess, Ph.D., P.E. (2023-2024) |