Arthur Hauspurg

Biography

Arthur Hauspurg was born in Brooklyn, attended Brooklyn Technical High School and graduated in 1945 from Columbia. He served in the Navy in the Pacific from 1943 to 1946 and received an master's degree in electrical engineering at Columbia in 1947.

Mr. Hauspurg was on the federal commission that investigated the causes of the blackout that struck much of the Northeast, including New York City, on Nov. 9, 1965. At the time, he was chief electrical engineer of the American Electric Power Corporation and an expert in the transmission of electricity.

In 1969, Charles F. Luce, the chairman and chief executive of Con Edison, asked Mr. Hauspurg to join his company as vice president for system planning and electrical engineering, a job that put him in charge of research and development.

He rose to senior vice president in 1973 and became president and chief operating office in 1975. He became chief executive officer in 1981 and succeeded Mr. Luce as chairman in 1982. He retired from both positions in 1990, when Eugene R. McGrath became chairman, but he remained a director until 1997.

Mr. Hauspurg was chief executive in a quieter period for Con Ed than that of his predecessor, Mr. Luce, who had to contend with power failures and rate disputes. Mr. Hauspurg oversaw the improvement of Con Ed's transmission system and the design of stronger links to neighboring utilities. The company also credited him with updating its control center, installing systems for restoring power when necessary and adding substations. He was on the boards of the Central Park Conservancy, the New York City Partnership, the Regional Plan Association and the Fresh Air Fund.