Jerry Lawson
Engineer who led the first cartridge-based video-game console
- Lived
- 70 yrs
- 1940 – 2011
- Works listed
- 1
- Console
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2011
- Profile views
- 5
- 0 followers
Jerry Lawson was an American electronic engineer and one of the first African-American engineers in Silicon Valley. At Fairchild Semiconductor he led the team that made the Channel F (1976), the first home video-game console to use interchangeable ROM cartridges. He died in 2011.
Biography
Background
Lawson grew up in Queens, repaired radios and televisions as a teenager and studied at Queens College and City College of New York.
Fairchild
He joined Fairchild Semiconductor in 1970. He built the arcade game Demolition Derby in his garage, which led Fairchild to make him head of its video-game division.
Channel F
His team’s Channel F (1976) let players buy new games on cartridges and introduced a pause feature. It paved the way for the Atari 2600.
Legacy
He founded Videosoft, one of the first Black-owned video-game companies. He was honoured by the International Game Developers Association in 2011, shortly before he died.
Timeline
-
1940
Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States
-
1970
Joins Fairchild
-
1975
Heads Fairchild’s video-game unit
-
1976
Channel F
-
1980
Founds Videosoft
-
2011
IGDA honour; dies
-
2011
Died, aged 70
Notable works
-
1976
Fairchild Channel F Console
Awards and honours
-
IGDA Game Developers Pioneer Award
2011
Did you know?
-
1
He was 1.98 m tall and over 130 kg.
-
2
He was a member of the Homebrew Computer Club.
-
3
Google honoured him with a Doodle game in 2022.
Connections
Also born on 1 December
-
Medha Patkar
Activism & Humanitarian · Social activist who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan
1954
-
Safra Catz
Technology · Israeli-American executive who led Oracle as CEO until 2025
1961
-
Federico Faggin
Technology · Italian physicist who designed the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004
1941
Frequently asked
Who is Jerry Lawson?
Jerry Lawson was an American electronic engineer and one of the first African-American engineers in Silicon Valley. At Fairchild Semiconductor he led the team that made the Channel F (1976), the first home video-game console to use interchangeable ROM cartridges. He died in 2011.
When did Jerry Lawson die?
Jerry Lawson died on 9 April 2011 at the age of 70.
Where is Jerry Lawson from?
Jerry Lawson was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What is Jerry Lawson known for?
Jerry Lawson is best known for Fairchild Channel F (1976), the first console with interchangeable ROM cartridges.
What awards has Jerry Lawson received?
Notable honours include IGDA Game Developers Pioneer Award (2011).
References
- Jerry Lawson (engineer) — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jerry Lawson (engineer) (Q3249197) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Jerry Lawson (engineer)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Jerry Lawson.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/jerry-lawson
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