A History of Mathematics at Cornell

Laurent Saloff-Coste – Cornell Mathematics history page

Welcome. I maintain this page about the history of the Cornell Mathematics Department 

email:lps2(at)cornell.edu

How this page came to be: In 2015, I was Chair of the Department of Mathematics and the University celebrated its sesquicentennial: The Charter establishing Cornell University was signed by the Governor of New York in 1865 and the University opened in 1868. I thought it would be fun to learn about the history of Cornell and its Department of Mathematics and started to read available material and dig into the department and university archives. What do we know about the first professors, the first students, their interests, and the development of the department and university? I was surprised to discover it was not very hard to establish the list of all faculty members of the Department of Mathematics up to 1930, and to find information about their whereabouts and careers. The early years of Cornell University coincides with the emergence of scientific research in the United States and this made looking at the department history more fascinating. The top-left menu gives access to a complete list of Cornell Mathematics Ph.D.s (currently, up to 2009).

Content:  If you open one of the pdf documents using acrobat reader you should be able to use the left-column bookmark feature to help you navigate the document using chapters, sections and subsections. Use the buttons below to access the documents. The link "A Selection of Images" takes you to a curated collection of images related to the Cornell Mathematics.  

Helen Brewster Owens: Adding Up a Life, written by Elaine D. Engst and L. Saloff-Coste for a joint talk given at Cornell in 2022 is a 19-page pdf describing the life and contributions of Helem Brewster Owens, Cornell Ph.D. 1910, and significant contributor to the  woman suffrage  efforts of her time.  You can also access the powerpoint slides below.

Honoring James Edward Oliver,  written by Elaine D. Engst and L. Saloff-Coste for a joint talk given at Cornell in 2022 is a 10-page pdf describing the life of James Edward Oliver,  Chair between 1874 and 1895, including his contributions in support of  woman suffrage. 

Mathematics at Cornell: Stories and Characters, 1865-1965. Part I: 1865-1898, The First Thirty Years (148 page pdf document)

Mathematics at Cornell: Stories and Characters, 1865-1965. Part II: 1899-1939, Hurwitz, Hutchinson, and Snyder (117 page pdf document)

Mathematics at Cornell: Stories and Characters, 1865-1965. Part III: 1940-1965 (This is under construction and not available yet)

Short bios, Part I (34 page pdf document)

Short bios, Part II (48 page pdf document)

A Selection of Images 

Helen Brewster Owens: Adding Up a Life 

Honoring James Edward Oliver