Grace Hopper Rear Admiral of the US Navy, <Mother of the Computer>, <Grandmother of COBOL>, <Queen of Software> Date of Birth: 09.12.1906 Country: USA

Grace Hopper: A Biography

Grace Brewster Murray Hopper was a renowned scientist and rear admiral in the United States Navy. Despite being retired at the age of sixty, she was brought back to active duty just a year later through a "lifetime contract." She was appointed as the Chief Systems Analyst for the United States Navy. Known as the "Mother of the Computer," the "COBOL Queen," and the "Software Queen," Grace Hopper's life story is truly remarkable. It is surprising that our attentive readers have not yet demanded a detailed biography of this remarkable woman. Without a doubt, she deserves a prominent place in the pantheon of computer pioneers next to a small monument to the first computer bug she famously debugged.

Grace Hopper was born in 1906 to Walter Fletcher Murray and Mary Campbell Van Horne in New York City. Despite the challenges of the time, her parents were able to provide a comfortable life for their daughter. Grace grew up in a loving family, where her father, the Chief Engineer of New York City, played a significant role in their lives. He helped them secure a cozy apartment in the heart of New York City, allowing them to live comfortably.

Grace showed an early interest in technical subjects, often tinkering with her grandfather's car, her grandmother's glasses, her mother's wristwatch, and her father's pocket watch. However, her greatest fascination was with clocks and alarms. Her father indulged her curiosity, forgiving her mischievous nature, as she resembled her mother in both looks and character. Grace quickly developed a passion for mathematics and could play a dozen popular melodies on the piano.

In 1924, Grace enrolled in a private girls' school, where she spent ten years studying what she later described as "ten years of meaningless exile." Despite her disappointment with the lack of focus on mathematics, she embraced physical activities, excelling in baseball, basketball, field hockey, and water polo. At home, she would solve puzzles and create riddles for her family. Her dream was to attend a college that emphasized mathematics.

However, her father hoped she would marry someone successful and quickly solve their financial troubles. Grace married Vincent Hopper, a philologist who had not completed his degree, a decision that raised eyebrows among her peers due to his surname's resemblance to the word "hopper." Nonetheless, Grace continued her education, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Vassar College in 1928. She went on to pursue a Master's degree at Yale University.

In the early 1930s, Grace returned to Vassar College as a faculty member, teaching mathematics and continuing her research. In 1934, she became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Yale University. Her academic achievements brought her recognition and respect in the scientific community. She received a faculty position at Vassar and became a professor. However, her career took a different turn in the 1940s.

In 1943, Grace decided to join the United States Navy and serve her country during World War II. Despite her age and health issues, she persisted and was eventually assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance's Computation Project at Harvard University. There, she worked as the first programmer for the Mark I computer, a massive machine that could perform three arithmetic operations per second and had 72 bytes of memory. Grace's collaboration with Professor Howard Aiken proved fruitful, and their work contributed significantly to the war effort.

After the war, Grace divorced her husband and continued her career as a consultant for the digital equipment corporation. She became a leading figure in the development of programming automation theory and pioneered the concept of subroutine libraries, which allowed programmers to reuse code and save time. Her work laid the foundation for modern programming languages. She also developed the first compiler, known as the "A-0 compiler," which translated code written in a more user-friendly form into machine language.

Grace's contributions to the field of computer science did not go unnoticed. She received numerous accolades, including being named the first "Man of the Year" in the computer industry in 1969. She was promoted to the rank of Commodore (Captain) in the United States Navy and eventually retired as a Rear Admiral. Grace continued to serve as a consultant for various companies and institutions, sharing her knowledge and passion for computing until her death in 1992. Her legacy lives on, as she is remembered as a trailblazer and pioneer in the world of computer science.