[andsoitis]

The concept of automatic memory management dates back to the 1950s.

However, John McCarthy, the creator of Lisp, introduced the first widely recognized garbage collection mechanism around 1959/1960.

[kragen]

If so, he didn't write about it in that paper, and I don't think he introduced it at all; I think Slug Russell did.

Correction: as Rochus pointed out, he certainly did write about it in that paper, giving a complete description.