Oral history interview with Frank Lautenberg

Abstract

Frank Lautenberg is the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He was born in Paterson, NJ, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants, and served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He graduated from Columbia University with an Economics degree in 1949. Lautenberg helped co-found the early payroll services firm Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) and served as both Chairman and CEO.

In this oral history Lautenberg refers to his roots in Paterson, which was then still heavily involved in silk manufacturing. He describes his early relationship with silk industry accountant Henry Taub, the originator of ADP (then called Automatic Payrolls) in 1949. Lautenberg remembers the decision to outsource the rendering payroll service, including the intricate financing required in recasting the direction of the company in 1952. Henry became chief planner and strategist. His younger brother Joseph became manager of operations, and Lautenberg became the marketer of service.

Lautenberg describes use of Friden calculators and the Comptometer bookkeeping machine at Automatic Payrolls, as well as later punched card tabulating operations. Lautenberg explains the decision to go public in 1961 to accommodate the major payroll and human resource information needs of employers, and later expansion of company facilities and services like records, brokerage, and time-sharing. He talks about his service to ADAPSO and his Senate race. Lautenberg also deals briefly with privacy and security concerns related to automated data processing systems. This oral history was sponsored by the Software History Center in conjunction with the Center's ADAPSO reunion (3 May 2002).