Simjian was born in Aintab, Ottoman Empire to Armenian parents on January 28, 1905. His father, George, was an insurance broker working for an Austrian company. His mother, Josephine died when he was only a few months old. His father later remarried and he had two half-sisters. Simjian lived in Aintab until the age of nine. In 1915, during the Armenian genocide, the Simjian family fled to Aleppo, Syria, only to return to Aintab in 1920. His stepmother and half-sisters were killed in Marash. Simjian fled to Beirut, then to France and eventually to the United States by the end of 1920. He first settled in New Haven, Connecticut, living with an uncle. He found a job coloring photographs.
Simjian invented what has been described as a precursor of the automated teller machine (ATM). For this, Simjian is often considered the inventor of the ATM or that he first introduced the concept.The entry on Simjian in the American National Biography noted that he is “sometimes referred to as the ‘father of the ATM’ because he introduced the idea behind these now-ubiquitous machines.” According to history.com, “Many experts believe that the first automated banking machine was the creation” of Simjian. According to Konheim, Simjian “came up with the idea of creating a ‘hole-in-the wall machine’ that would allow customers to make financial transactions.” Hayward notes that Simjian’s role in the invention of the ATM is disputed, however, he is recognized as the “inventor of a photomechanical automated banking terminal,” popularly known as the Bankograph.
