Jean Sammet (1928–2017) was an American computer scientist who created FORMAC and contributed to COBOL. Her history of programming languages documented the field’s early development.
COBOL Development
Sammet was a key member of the CODASYL committee that designed COBOL. Her work on the language helped create one of the most enduring programming languages, still processing business transactions worldwide.
Creating FORMAC
At IBM, Sammet led development of FORMAC (1962-1964), the first widely used computer algebra system. FORMAC demonstrated that computers could manipulate mathematical symbols, not just crunch numbers.
Programming Language History
Sammet wrote “Programming Languages: History and Fundamentals” (1969), the definitive early survey of programming languages. She documented over 120 languages, preserving knowledge that might otherwise have been lost.
ACM Leadership
Sammet was active in the Association for Computing Machinery:
- First female president of ACM (1974-1976)
- Long service to SIGPLAN (programming languages group)
- Advocated for professional standards
Legacy
Sammet bridged early computing and modern language design. Her historical work documented the field’s origins, while FORMAC pioneered symbolic computation that continues in tools like Mathematica.