Margaret Hamilton was an American computer scientist known as the founder of two software companies: ‘Higher Order’ in 1976 and ‘Hamilton Technologies‘ in 1986. Hamilton passed away on September 30, 2026, at the age of 90.
Margaret Hamilton Biography
| Full Name | Margaret Elaine Heafield |
| Nickname | Margaret Hamilton |
| Profession | Computer Scientist |
| Date of Birth | 17 August 1936 |
| Age | 90 years (at the time of his death in September 2026) |
| Birth Place | Paoli, Indiana, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| School | Hancock High School |
| College | University of Michigan Earlham College |
| Education Qualification | B.A. in mathematics with a minor in philosophy in 1958 |
| Gender | Female |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Date of Death | September 30, 2026 |
| Place of Death | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |
| Cause of Death | Natural |
Margaret Hamilton Age
Margaret Hamilton (Margaret Elaine Heafield) was born on 17 August 1936 in Paoli, Indiana, United States. She was 90 years old at the time of her death, and her zodiac sign was Leo.
Margaret Hamilton Husband
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriend | James Cox Hamilton Dan Lickly |
| Spouse/Husband | James Cox Hamilton (m. 1958, div. 1967) Dan Lickly (M. 1969) |
| Children | One daughter – Lauren |
Margaret Hamilton Family
| Father’s Name | Kenneth Heafield |
| Mother’s Name | Ruth Esther Heafield |
| Brother’s Name | John Heafield David Heafield |
| Sister’s Name | Kathryn Heafield |
Career
- 1961 to 1963 – Moved to MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory to work on the SAGE project.
The NASA and Apollo Era –
- 1964 – Joined the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory as the first programmer hired for the Apollo project.
- Mid-1960s – Promoted to Director for the Software Engineering Division
- 1965 – Coined the term “Software engineering” to advocate for legitimacy and respect for her team’s work.
- 1970s – Oversaw the software development for the Skylab space station mission.
Executive and Entrepreneurial Era
- 1976 to 1984 – Left MIT to co-found her first company, Higher Order Software.
- 1986 – Founded Hamilton Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving as CEO.
- 2003 – Awarded the NASA Exceptional Space Act Award
- 2016 – Presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
- 2026 – Passed away on September 30, 2026.
Margaret Hamilton Height And Weight
| Height (Approx) | In centimeters – 163 cm In meters – 1.63 m In feet & inches – 5’4” |
| Weight (Approx) | In kilograms – 60 kg In pounds – 132 lbs |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | White |
Margaret Hamilton Net Worth
American computer scientist Margaret Hamilton had an estimated net worth between $150 million and $300 million at the time of her death in September 2026.
| Net Worth (Approx) | $150 million to $300 million (at the time of death in September 2026) |
| Real Estate | Not known |
| Income Sources | Salary at NASA and MIT, business ventures, etc. |
Some Interesting Facts About Margaret Hamilton
- Margaret Hamilton was born and raised in Paoli, Indiana, to Kenneth and Ruth Esther Heafield.
- When her family moved to Michigan, Margaret graduated from Hancock High School in 1954.
- She attended the University of Michigan in 1955 before transferring to Earlham College.
- In 1958, she earned a BA in mathematics with a minor in philosophy.
- In Boston, Hamilton initially intended to enroll in graduate study in abstract mathematics at Brandeis University.
- In mid-1959, Hamilton began working for Edward Norton Lorenz in the meteorology department at MIT.
- She moved on to another project in the summer 19611, and hired and trained Ellen Fetter as her replacement.
- From 1961 to 1963, Hamilton worked on the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment.
- She wrote software for a satellite tracking project at the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories.
- She said her poet father and headmaster grandfather inspired her to include a minor in philosophy in her studies.
- In 1976, she co-founded a company called Higher Order Software with Saydean Zeldin.
- Hamilton was the CEO of HOS through 1984 and left the company in 1985.
- In March 1986, she founded Hamilton Technologies, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Hamilton has been credited with naming the discipline of “Software engineering.”
- Margo Madison, a fictional NASA engineer in the alternate history series For All Mankind, was inspired by Hamilton.
- In 2017, a “Women of NASA” LEGO set went on sale featuring minifigures of Hamilton.
- She met her first husband, James Cox Hamilton, in the mid-1950s while attending college.
- Hamilton died on September 30, 2026, at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 90.
FAQ:
How old was Margaret Hamilton?
90 years old (at the time of her death)
What was Margaret Hamilton’s net worth?
As of October 2026, Margaret Hamilton’s net worth was around $150 million to $300 million.
How tall was Margaret Hamilton?
5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m)
What happened to Margaret Hamilton?
Margaret Hamilton died on 30 September 2 026, at age 90.
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