H. S. Vandiver
The University of Texas at Austin
October 21, 1882 - January 4, 1973
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Scientific Discipline: Mathematics Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1934)
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Harry S. Vandiver focused much of his research on the workings of number theory, a derivative of pure mathematics that focuses on the study of integers. Most of the research he did dealt with Fermat’s Last Theorem. He published the paper “Note on Fermat’s Last Theorem” in 1929 in the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. Through further clarification and work on this theorem, Vandiver contributed to the development of modern geometry and number theory.
Though Vandiver had no formal education, as he left high school to work for his father, he submitted two of his works to the American Mathematical Monthly in 1902: “A Problem Connected with Mersenne's Numbers” and “Applications of a Theorem Regarding Circulants.” From 1914 to 1917, Vandiver had numerous papers published in various mathematical journals. During World War I he joined the United States Naval Reserve, and upon his return to academia in 1919 he became an instructor of mathematics at Cornell. He served as vice president of the American Mathematical Society from 1934 to 1935. He was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1946. Vandiver was appointed a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas in 1924, a position he held until he retired in 1966.
