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Earl Isaac

1921 – 1983

American computer programmer

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About Earl Isaac

Lived 1921 – 1983 (aged 62). Earl Isaac was an American programmer.

Earl Judson Isaac (August 7, 1921 – December 12, 1983) founded Fair, Isaac and Company along with friend William R. "Bill" Fair in 1956. They began the operation in a small studio apartment on Lincoln Avenue in San Rafael, California.

Early life and education Earl Isaac was born in Buffalo, New York where he graduated from Riverside High School. The youngest of five children, Earl had two older brothers and two older sisters. He graduated from high school at age 15, attended Muskingum University, then accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, for the class of 1944. Because of the outbreak of World War II, he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1943, one year early, and served as a U.S. Naval officer on the USS Missouri. After World War II, Isaac earned a Master of Science degree in Mathematics at University of California, Los Angeles.

Career After being discharged from the Navy, he worked at SRI International during SRI's beginning years, then known as Stanford Research Institute, along with Bill Fair, his future business partner.

With an initial investment of $400 each (together ), Isaac and Fair founded Fair, Isaac and Company in 1956, a firm that would provide a creditworthiness scoring system to lenders.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Earl Judson Isaac

People in Earl Isaac's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Earl Isaac's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Earl Isaac?

American computer programmer (1921-1983)

When was Earl Isaac born?

Earl Isaac was born on 7 August 1921.

When did Earl Isaac die?

Earl Isaac died on 12 December 1983.

What was Earl Isaac's occupation?

Earl Isaac was a programmer.

What nationality was Earl Isaac?

Earl Isaac was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Earl Isaac

· Wikidata: Q5325931

· DBpedia: Earl Isaac

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Earl Isaac. https://biography.guide/earl-isaac/

MLA: "Earl Isaac." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/earl-isaac/.

Chicago: "Earl Isaac." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/earl-isaac/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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