Following several attempts to form a technical organization of
wireless practitioners in 1908–1912, the
Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) was finally established in 1912 in
New York City. Among its founding organizations were the Society of Wireless Telegraph Engineers (SWTE) and the Wireless Institute (TWI). At the time, the dominant organization of
electrical engineers was the
American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). Many of the founding members of IRE considered AIEE too conservative and too focused on
electric power. Moreover, the founders of the IRE sought to establish an international organization (unlike the “American” AIEE), and adopted a tradition of electing some of the IRE's officers from outside the United States. is standing at back, seventh from the right. In the first half of the 20th century,
radio communications had experienced great expansion, and the growing professional community of developers and operators of radio systems required standardization, research, and authoritative dissemination of new results among practitioners and researchers. To meet these needs, the IRE established professional journals (most notably the
Proceedings of the IRE, established 1913 and edited for 41 years by
Alfred N. Goldsmith); participated actively in all aspects of standardization and regulations of the frequency spectrum,
modulation techniques, testing methods, and
radio equipment; and organized regional and professional groups (starting in 1914 and 1948, respectively) for cooperation and exchange between members. The IRE was a major participant in planning of the
Federal Radio Commission (established 1927; later the
Federal Communications Commission), and worked in close cooperation with the
National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the
Radio Manufacturers Association, the Radio and Television Manufacturers Association, and the
National Television System Committee on
Standards. The IRE also started (in 1914) a program of professional recognition, through the membership grade of IRE Fellow. The first Fellow was
Jonathan Zenneck (1871–1959), a pioneer of
wireless telegraphy. ==Merger==