Isaac Shoenberg

Who was Isaac Shoenberg?

Sir Isaac Shoenberg was an electronic engineer born in Russia who was best known for his role in history of television.

Shoenberg was born in Pinsk, Imperial Russia and studied mathematics, mechanical engineering, and electricity in St. Petersburg.

In 1905 Shoenberg was employed to design and instal the earliest wireless stations in Russia. However, in 1914, Shoenberg decided to emigrate to London and join the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company.

Shoenberg was later general manager of the Columbia Graphaphone Company. He remained with the company through the merger that became EMI in the early 1930s making significant contributions to the development of television. He was Alan Blumlein's supervisor at the central research labs at Hayes during the time Blumlein invented stereo recording.

Shoenberg was knighted in 1962.

With his wife Esther, Shoenberg was the father of British physicist David Shoenberg, gynaecologist Rosalie Shoenberg Taylor, psychiatrist Elisabeth Shoenberg, Mark Shoenberg and Alec Shoenberg.