Former IBM President, Systems Executive Is Dead

Kuehler died Dec. 20 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., as a result of complications from Parkinson's disease, according to Associated Press and New York Times stories that quoted Kuehler's daughter, Christi Kuehler Chappell.

As president, Kuehler was the highest ranking technologist in a company where top management posts tend to be held by executives with sales and finance backgrounds. He also served as vice chairman for several years throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Kuehler held key technology research posts during IBM's dominant years in the mainframe computer industry and as a technology strategist he was instrumental in guiding development of the company's widely successful PC business in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Kuehler also helped create the IBM-Apple-Motorola alliance that developed the PowerPC microprocessor in 1991. And he played a leading role in the 1987 founding of the Sematech industry-government alliance created to boost the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry.

Kuehler was born in Grand Island, Neb., in 1932 and held a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and M.S. degree in electrical engineering, both from Santa Clara University. He began his career at IBM in 1958 as an associate engineer at the company's San Jose Research Laboratory, according to his biography on IBM's Web site.

Kuehler advanced through various technical and managerial positions in IBM research through the 1960s and early 1970s before being named vice president, technical operations, in the General Products Division in 1972. Later he became vice president of development and then, in 1977, was named assistant group executive, systems development, of the Data Processing Product Group.

When the Systems Products Division was formed in August, 1978, Kuehler was appointed its president, a title he retained two years later when the General Technology Division was created. And in December 1981 he was named Information Systems and Technology Group executive, according to his IBM biography. In 1985 he was given responsibility for worldwide development and U.S. manufacturing operations.

Kuehler was named IBM president in May 1989 and served two terms as the vice chairman of the company's board of directors. He retired from IBM in 1993.

Kuehler is survived by his wife Carmen, five children and 12 grandchildren.