James Waddell Alexander II
James Waddell Alexander II | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | September 23, 1971 | (aged 83)
Known for | Algebraic topology |
Awards | Bôcher Memorial Prize (1928) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Topology |
Doctoral advisor | Oswald Veblen |
James Waddell Alexander II (September 19, 1888 – September 23, 1971) was a
Early life, family, and personal life
James was born on September 19, 1888, in
He married Natalia Levitzkaja on January 11, 1918, a Russian woman. Together, they had two children.[2]
They would frequently spend time, until 1937, in the
Education
He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1910. He received his Masters of Arts degree in 1911 and his doctoral degree in 1915.[2]
Military career
During World War I, Alexander served with tech staff in the Ordnance Department of the United States Army overseas. He retired as a Captain.[2]
Academic career
He was a pioneer in
With
Alexander was an elected member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[4][5]
Towards the end of his life, Alexander became a recluse. He was known as a socialist and his prominence brought him to the attention of McCarthyists. The atmosphere of the McCarthy era pushed him into a greater seclusion. He was not seen in public after 1954, when he appeared to sign a letter supporting J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Death and legacy
He died on September 23, 1971.[2]
The Alexander's Chimney, in the Rocky Mountain National Park, is named after him.
See also
- Alexander horned sphere
- Alexander polynomial
- Alexander cochain
- Alexander–Spanier cohomology
- Alexander duality
- Alexander's trick
References
- ^ Staff. A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS: The Institute for Advanced Study Faculty and Members 1930–1980 Archived 2011-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, p. 43. Institute for Advanced Study, 1980. Accessed November 20, 2015. "Alexander, James Waddell M, Topology Born 1888 Seabright, NJ."
- ^ ISBN 0837932017.
- ^ James, I. M. (19 January 2001). "PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER (1888-1971)" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 38 (2): 127. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ "James W. Alexander". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
Sources
- James, I. M., Portrait of Alexander (1888–1971), Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. (N.S.) 38 (2001), no. 2, 123–129.
- Cohen, Leon W., James Waddell Alexander (1888–1971), Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 79 (1973), no. 5, 900—903.
External links
- O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "James Waddell Alexander II", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
- Author profile in the database zbMATH