Solomon Lefschetz
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES S O L O M O N L EFSCHETZ 1884—1972 A Biographical Memoir by PHILLIP GRIFFITHS, DONALD SPENCER, AND GEORGE W HITEHEAD Any opinions expressed in this memoir are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences. Biographical Memoir COPYRIGHT 1992 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES WASHINGTON D.C. SOLOMON LEFSCHETZ September 3, 1884-October 5, 1972 BY PHILLIP GRIFFITHS, DONALD SPENCER, AND GEORGE WHITEHEAD1 OLOMON LEFSCHETZ was a towering figure in the math- Sematical world owing not only to his original contribu- tions but also to his personal influence. He contributed to at least three mathematical fields, and his work reflects throughout deep geometrical intuition and insight. As man and mathematician, his approach to problems, both in life and in mathematics, was often breathtakingly original and creative. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HISTORY Solomon Lefschetz was born in Moscow on September 3, 1884. He was a son of Alexander Lefschetz, an importer, and his wife, Vera, Turkish citizens. Soon after his birth, his parents left Russia and took him to Paris, where he grew up with five brothers and one sister and received all of his schooling. French was his native language, but he learned Russian and other languages with remarkable fa- cility. From 1902 to 1905, he studied at the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, graduating in 1905 with the de- gree of mechanical engineer, the third youngest in a class of 220. His reasons for entering that institution were com- plicated, for as he said, he had been "mathematics mad" since he had his first contact with geometry at thirteen.
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