Herman Hollerith. View of the American computer scientist Herman Hollerith (1860-1929). Hollerith devised a system of electromechanically handling punched cards for data processing. Hollerith graduated from the Colombia University School of Mines, New York, USA. In 1880 he assisted with the processing of the United States census. By 1887 he had developed machine-readable cards and a census machine that read 80 cards a minute. This system was employed to process the 1890 census with great success. In 1896, Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company. This was a forerunner of the International Business Machine Corporation (IBM).