Elmer Baum

Elmer Baum (c.1917 – January 23, 1993) was an early manager at Apple Computer and first seed investor of the predecessor Apple Computer Company.

Education
Baum was raised in Brooklyn, New York and received a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He earned his M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Career
During World War II, Baum designed communications equipment for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He then worked at ITT Federal Labs in Monmouth County, New Jersey. In 1965, Baum joined the Stanford Research Institute, where he met Douglas Engelbart.

In 1976, Elmer Baum loaned $5000 to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who were friends of his son Allen, so that they could build the Apple I computer. Elmer noted that they "paid it back fairly quickly"; Jobs said that without the loan, "we wouldn't have made it." Elmer was hired as employee #34 of the newly incorporated Apple Computer in 1978. His sons Allen and Peter also joined Apple.

Elmer Baum passed away due to kidney failure in 1993.

Articles

 * These Pictures Of Apple's First Employees Are Absolutely Wonderful by Jim Edwards at Business Insider (2013-12-26)