Harry Bates Thayer (1858 - 1936), U.S. was an electrical and telephone businessman. He designed an electrical punch card machine in 1887 at Dartmouth College. He was educated at Northfield High School in Northfield, Vermont. He then attended Norwich University (the Military College of Vermont) for 2 years before attending Dartmouth College. His career started in 1879 as a shipping clerk at Western Electric Company. He was the International department manager in 1897. During that time he traveled to Japan and participated in the formation of NEC. He soon became the general manager in New York and later vice-president. In 1908 he became president of Western Electric Company and vice-president at AT&T, American Telephone & Telegraph. He left Western Electric Company in June 1919 when he became president of AT&T and later in 1925 chairman at AT&T. A close friend of Thayer's, Theodore Vail took over the role as president at AT&T. Thayer stayed as chairman at AT&T until he resigned in 1928.
