Founder Profile
Eugene McDermott
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Eugene McDermott?
Eugene McDermott is a founder of Texas Instruments Inc., which was founded in 1951 with Patrick E. Haggerty, Cecil H. Green and J. Erik Jonsson.
- Company founded
- Texas Instruments Inc.
- Founded
- 1951
- Co-founders
- Patrick E. Haggerty, Cecil H. Green and J. Erik Jonsson
Background
Geophysicist with degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology and Columbia University.
Founding Story
Eugene McDermott (1899-1973) co-founded Geophysical Service Inc. (the predecessor to Texas Instruments) in 1930. He pioneered the use of reflection seismology to discover oil reserves. During WWII, he guided the company's expansion into manufacturing highly sensitive electronic equipment for the US Navy, establishing the high-precision manufacturing culture that defined TI's later success in microchips.
McDermott was born on February 12, 1899 and died on August 23, 1973. His other inventions ranged from geochemical methods to antisubmarine warfare, often using sonar. Eugene McDermott was born in 1899.