February 16th, 2010

In Honor of Black History Month: 3 Great African American Mathematicians

February is Black History Month and an appropriate time to reflect on the achievements of African American mathematicians. Although there are many black mathematicians who deserve recognition, we’re focusing on the first three to ever receive a Ph.D. in the field. These scholars had to overcome unfathomable injustices to live their dreams and are an inspiration to burgeoning mathematicians everywhere.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase – Martin Luther King, Jr.

African American Mathematicians

Elbert Frank Cox

cox_elbert_african american mathematicans

Elbert Cox: First African American Ph.D. in Mathematics

Born in Evansville, Indiana, Elbert F. Cox demonstrated advanced ability in mathematics and physics at an early age. The close-knit Cox family fostered his interest in math – his father was a principal and from an early age, Cox was encouraged to develop his talents and get an education.

Elbert Cox earned his A.B. at Indiana University in 1917 and, after serving in France during World War 1, he returned to pursue a career as a high school math teacher. In 1921, he applied for admission to Cornell University, which at the time was one of only seven American Universities with a mathematics Ph.D program.

At Cornell, Cox’s thesis adviser, William Lloyd Garrison Williams, realized Cox could be recognized not only as the first black person in the United States to receive a mathematics Ph.D — but the first in the world. Williams persuaded Cox to send his thesis on to universities in other countries. Cox did. And after several universities in England and Germany turned him down, Japan’s Imperial University of San Dei accepted the dissertation, making him the first black person in the world to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1925.

Dudley Weldon Woodard

Dudley Woodward

Dudley Weldon Woodard was born on October 3, 1881 in Galveston, Texas. He was a curious young student and his family supported his thirst for knowledge. Woodard obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1903 from Wilberforce College in Ohio and then went on to get an M.S. degree in mathematics at the University of Chicago in 1907. In 1928, he received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, making him the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Woodard was very well-liked among his colleagues and students and highly respected in the mathematical sciences community. Leo Zippin, a recognized expert in Woodard’s field, described him as “one of the noblest men I’ve ever known.”

Dr. Woodard lived his life they way he wanted to despite oppression – he ignored segregation signs, went into any men’s restroom of his choice, and moved into an all-white community.

William Waldron Shieffelin Claytor

William Claytor

Claytor was born on January 4 in Norfolk, Virginia. He earned his A.B. and M.A. from Howard University and earned a Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania in 1933. From the beginning of his academic career, Claytor was a brilliant student – while at Penn, he earned a Harrison Scholarship in Mathematics in his second year and later received a Harrison Fellowship in Mathematics, the most prestigious award offered at Penn in the 1930′s.

He was the third African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics and, after publishing his dissertation, the predominately African American West Virginia State College was the only school that offered him a faculty position. He went on to make presentations at the meetings of the American Mathematical Society, but was never allowed to stay in the same hotel where the presentations took place.

Claytor continued to lead in his field of topology, the area of mathematics concerned with spatial properties, until he retired. Throughout his career, discrimination remained an obstacle.

Looking back reminds us how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go. Let’s hear it for these mathematicians who pursued their passions despite segregation. One last fact: the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics was Euphemia Lofton Haynes in 1943!

Some information from: http://www.aaregistry.com

Tags: famous mathematicians, Math in Real Life