John M. Fluke Sr.

In 1936, when Fluke was completing his master's of science degree in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he developed a unique power meter. In 1949, Fluke launched the John Fluke Engineering Co. in the basement of his Connecticut home. The first product introduced by his new company was the power meter that he had developed at MIT. Fluke sold the product to his first employer, General Electric, and the modest start-up company was on its way. Fluke relocated his company in his native Pacific Northwest in 1952, and three years later he introduced the first differential voltmeter. Under Fluke's leadership, first as president and later as chairman of the board, the company expanded to become a world leader in the development and manufacture of compact, professional electronic test and measurement tools.