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'''Varian Associates''' was one of the first [[high-tech]] companies in [[Silicon Valley]]. It was founded in 1948 by [[Russell Varian|Russell H.]] and [[Sigurd Varian|Sigurd F. Varian]], [[William Webster Hansen]], and [[Edward Ginzton]] to sell the [[klystron]], the first tube which could generate electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies, and other electromagnetic equipment.
'''Varian Associates''' was one of the first [[high-tech]] companies in [[Silicon Valley]]. It was founded in 1948 by [[Russell Varian|Russell H.]] and [[Sigurd Varian|Sigurd F. Varian]], [[William Webster Hansen]], and [[Edward Ginzton]] to sell the [[klystron]], the first tube which could generate electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies, and other electromagnetic equipment. Varian was acquired by [[Agilent Technologies]] in May, 2010 <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101112-709484.html Agilent's 4Q Profit Soars, Topping Views; Forecast Upbeat ]</ref>


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 22:25, 4 January 2011

Varian Associates was one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1948 by Russell H. and Sigurd F. Varian, William Webster Hansen, and Edward Ginzton to sell the klystron, the first tube which could generate electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies, and other electromagnetic equipment. Varian was acquired by Agilent Technologies in May, 2010 [1]

History

Russell Varian (1898-1959), photographed by Ansel Adams.
Sigurd Varian (1901-1961), photographed by Ansel Adams.

On April 20, 1948, the Articles of Incorporation were filed, signed by nine directors: Edward L. Ginzton, William W. Hansen, Richard M. Leonard, Leonard I. Schiff, H. Myrl Stearns, Russell H. Varian, his wife, Dorothy Varian, Sigurd F. Varian and Paul B. Hunter. The company began with six full-time employees: the Varian brothers, Dorothy, Myrl Stearns, Fred Salisbury, and Don Snow. Technical and business assistance came from several members of the faculty at Stanford University, including Edward Ginzton, Marvin Chodorow, William Hansen, and Leonard Schiff. The company's legal counsel was Dick Leonard, a San Francisco attorney, and Paul Hunter, a patent attorney, handled matters related to patents and intellectual property rights.[2]

In 1953 the company established its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, in what has become known as the Stanford Industrial Park and under Thomas D. Sege, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) from 1981 to 1990, sales grew to exceed $1 billion per annum. In 1990 J. Tracy O'Rourke, a 1956 graduate of Auburn University, Alabama replaced Sege as CEO and was also made chairman of the board. On April 2, 1999, the company spun off its Gloucester, Massachusetts ion-implantation equipment business into Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (VSEA) and its Palo Alto based scientific instrument business into Varian, Inc. (VARI). The medical equipment business which included the manufacture of x-ray tubes in Salt Lake City, Utah renamed itself Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (VAR) and remained headquartered in Palo Alto. After the breakup O'Rourke served as VSEA's chairman.

See also

References

Further reading

  • Varian, Dorothy (1983). The Inventor and the Pilot: Russell and Sigurd Varian Pacific Book Pub; ISBN: 978-0870152375

External links

  • Stanford University Libraries. "Guide to the Papers of Russell and Sigurd Varian, 1836-1988" (Document). Online Archive of California. SC 345. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |editor= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |format= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |work= ignored (help)
  • Early history of Varian Associates hosted by Communications & Power Industries, which bought Varian's electron device business in 1995
  • About Varian Inc. - An Early History
  • J. Tracy O'Rourke joins Varian Associates
  • Guide to the Varian Associates Records at The Bancroft Library