James M. Early, 81; Electrical Engineer, Transistor Pioneer

James M. Early, 81, an electrical engineer and inventor best known for his pioneering work with transistors, died Jan. 12 at a veterans hospital in Palo Alto. The cause of death was not reported.

Early created much of the design theory of bipolar transistors at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, where he worked for Nobel Prize winner William Shockley.

Born in Syracuse, N.Y., Early was the second of nine children. He earned his bachelor’s degree at New York State College of Forestry and his master’s and doctorate at Ohio State University.

He worked for 18 years at Bell Laboratories, where he discovered the effects of space-charge layer widening. He moved to Palo Alto to become vice president of research and development at Fairchild Semiconductor. When he retired in 1986, he held 14 patents.

Early biked to work, was a voracious reader and took his family swimming, sailing and hiking. He also volunteered to make recordings for the blind from technical manuals and journals.