James Henry Taylor
Encyclopedia
James Henry Taylor was a professor of mathematics at George Washington University
from 1929–1958, and professor emeritus from 1959 until his death.
, Taylor died of cancer on March 30, 1972 at the age of 79. In addition to the title of professor, Taylor was also referred to as an emeritus of mathematics in Residence from 1958 until his death.
Taylor was a graduate of three different universities. The first was the University of Nebraska at Omaha
. Secondly he enrolled in the University of Chicago
. Lastly, he attended Princeton University
where he was a National Research Fellow.
During World War II, he was a mathematical advisor at Fort Belvoir
in Virigina and at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institute
. According to DTM, "scientists bring the perspective of several disciplines to broad questions about nature."
After WWI he was a National Research Fellow in Mathematics from September 1924 until September 1925. During the summer of 1919 he was a "boilermaker
’s helper," at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Shops in Havelock, Nebraska. He worked with the Nebraska Department of Public Works computing road coasts during the summers of 1921 and 1922.
in Chicago in 1923, where he was a part-time math instructor for a year. In 1924, Taylor received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago. He furthered his profession in 1925 when he became an assistant professor of mathematics at Lehigh University
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. After working for a year at Lehigh, Taylor began working at the University of Wisconsin, again as an assistant professor of mathematics from 1926 until 1929. Then, in 1929, he started his career at the George Washington University
where he was a full-time professor of mathematics for the first time.
During the time that Taylor taught at the George Washington University from 1929–1958 the mathematics department was relatively basic. He taught classes in advanced analytics, geometry, and tensor analysis. In 1950–1951 the department expanded a little, offering 34 classes ranging from college algebra to analytic geometry to plane trigonometry. Taylor taught continued to teach classes in advanced analytic geometry and vector analysis, in addition to integral equations, differential geometry, and tensor analysis.
After teaching at the George Washington University for almost thirty years Taylor retired in 1959. In 1963 he moved to Wichita, Kansas
. Taylor died nine years later from cancer and a memorial was established in his honor with the American Cancer Society
. The burial was held in La Veta, Colorado
.
George Washington University established The Taylor Prize in Mathematics
in his honor.
, which was founded in 1818 to further the interests of mathematics research and scholarship. In the sciences, he was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the Geophysics Society, and the Washington Academy of Sciences. He was a Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Nebraska, a Sigma Xi
, and a member of the Masons and the Cosmos Club.
Taylor was published in numerous mathematical works and was listed in Who’s Who in America. He was the author of a book on vector analysis, involving magnitude and direction, and wrote several articles on various mathematical topics. In December 1944, Taylor wrote an article on the "Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity." Taylor wrote another article entitled, "Parallelism and Transversality in a Sub-Space of a General (Finsler) Space." This article was presented to the American Mathematical Society
on April 16, 1972.
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
from 1929–1958, and professor emeritus from 1959 until his death.
Early life
Born on February 21, 1893 in Sharon, PennsylvaniaSharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, northwest of Pittsburgh. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Taylor died of cancer on March 30, 1972 at the age of 79. In addition to the title of professor, Taylor was also referred to as an emeritus of mathematics in Residence from 1958 until his death.
Taylor was a graduate of three different universities. The first was the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
. Secondly he enrolled in the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. Lastly, he attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
where he was a National Research Fellow.
Military service
Before becoming a professor, Taylor was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in World War I from August 1917 to August 1918. As a Second Lieutenant, the entry-level rank for most commissioned officers, Taylor led a platoon-size element. He was then promoted to First Lieutenant and saw duty in France in the 351st Infantry, a position he held until June 1919. (Washington Post, Dr. James H. Taylor, Mathematician at GW).During World War II, he was a mathematical advisor at Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
in Virigina and at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
. According to DTM, "scientists bring the perspective of several disciplines to broad questions about nature."
After WWI he was a National Research Fellow in Mathematics from September 1924 until September 1925. During the summer of 1919 he was a "boilermaker
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
’s helper," at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
Shops in Havelock, Nebraska. He worked with the Nebraska Department of Public Works computing road coasts during the summers of 1921 and 1922.
Teaching career
Taylor began his teaching career as an assistant in mathematics at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1919, where he taught for a year until becoming an instructor from 1920 to 1922. He then transferred to Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago in 1923, where he was a part-time math instructor for a year. In 1924, Taylor received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago. He furthered his profession in 1925 when he became an assistant professor of mathematics at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. After working for a year at Lehigh, Taylor began working at the University of Wisconsin, again as an assistant professor of mathematics from 1926 until 1929. Then, in 1929, he started his career at the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
where he was a full-time professor of mathematics for the first time.
During the time that Taylor taught at the George Washington University from 1929–1958 the mathematics department was relatively basic. He taught classes in advanced analytics, geometry, and tensor analysis. In 1950–1951 the department expanded a little, offering 34 classes ranging from college algebra to analytic geometry to plane trigonometry. Taylor taught continued to teach classes in advanced analytic geometry and vector analysis, in addition to integral equations, differential geometry, and tensor analysis.
After teaching at the George Washington University for almost thirty years Taylor retired in 1959. In 1963 he moved to Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. Taylor died nine years later from cancer and a memorial was established in his honor with the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
. The burial was held in La Veta, Colorado
La Veta, Colorado
La Veta is a Statutory Town in Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The population was 924 at the 2000 census.-Geography:La Veta is located at ....
.
George Washington University established The Taylor Prize in Mathematics
The Taylor Prize in Mathematics
The Taylor Prize in Mathematics is a cash prize awarded annually to a graduate student of mathematics at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. The prize is named after Dr...
in his honor.
Professional affiliations
Taylor was a member of the American Mathematical SocietyAmerican Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, which was founded in 1818 to further the interests of mathematics research and scholarship. In the sciences, he was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the Geophysics Society, and the Washington Academy of Sciences. He was a Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Nebraska, a Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, and a member of the Masons and the Cosmos Club.
Taylor was published in numerous mathematical works and was listed in Who’s Who in America. He was the author of a book on vector analysis, involving magnitude and direction, and wrote several articles on various mathematical topics. In December 1944, Taylor wrote an article on the "Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity." Taylor wrote another article entitled, "Parallelism and Transversality in a Sub-Space of a General (Finsler) Space." This article was presented to the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
on April 16, 1972.