The IEE
By
Michael Geselowitz
Many IEEE members and others
interested in the engineering professions will be aware of the
recent merger, in the United Kingdom, of the Institute of
Electrical Engineers (IEE) with the Institution of Incorporated
Engineers (IIE) to form the Institution of Engineering and
Technology (IET). Interestingly, the IIE traces its history back
to 1884 — the same year as the founding of IEEE — with the
formation of something called the Vulcanic Society. A series of
earlier mergers over time insures that — with the addition of
the IEE — the new organization represents the full breadth of
engineering in the U.K.
However, it is the loss of the IEE
brand that is perhaps of greatest interest to IEEE members. For
one thing, we will no longer be confused with our European
cousin. Our joy is tempered, however, by the realization that
this represents the passing of an era in our profession.
Although it is one of the roles of the IEEE History Center to
preserve the institutional history of the IEEE's predecessor
societies (www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/history_center/history_of_ieee.html),
few members of the general public recall the AIEE or IRE. In
case this fate awaits IEE as well, now is a good time to remind
readers of Today's Engineer of the origins of IEE.
In the U.K., the Institution of Civil
Engineers was founded in 1818 and the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers in 1847. By 1870, however, technical employees of the
rapidly expanding British telegraph companies felt that their
profession — owing to their knowledge of electricity — was not
served by these other learned societies. So in 1871, Major Frank
Bolton, Charles William Siemens and other notable "electricians"
formed the Society of Telegraph Engineers (STE).
The early focus of the Society was
on telegraphy. However, this was a time of a great expansion of
the use of electricity — particularly into lighting and traction
— and other practitioners applied for membership. It was decided
to broaden the scope of the Society to specifically include
electrical science, since this was a concern of every telegraph
engineer and was not already represented by other organizations.
This led to further growth of the Society, and in 1880 it was
renamed The Society of Telegraph Engineers and of Electricians.
The profession and technology of electricity continued to
evolve, in step with this organization that continued to grow in
membership, prominence and importance. Finally, in 1887 —
during this very month (10 November, to be precise) — the name
was changed again, to the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
This is the name that persisted for 118 years. Over time, the IEE merged with The Institution of Electronic and Radio
Engineers (IERE) and the Institution of Production Engineers (IProdE,
later the IMfgE), analogous to AIEE's merger with the IRE to
form IEEE, but it is only with the latest merger with IIE that
IEE finally gave up its venerable identity.
For more information on the history
of IEE, readers are invited to visit the site of the IET Library
& Archives (www.iee.org/theiee/research/libsvc/).
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