Person: Morton, Vernon
Vernon Morton was an English mathematician who was head of Pure Mathematics at Aberystwyth for many years.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- When Morton attended, the school included both a junior and a secondary school.
- The headmaster during Morton's time at the school was James Harvey Hichens (1859-1938), who had an Oxford degree in chemistry, and he had done a remarkable job in raising the standards of the school with many pupils being successful in the Oxford and Cambridge Scholarship Examinations.
- However, Morton never fully recovered from the gas attack and suffered the consequences for the rest of his life.
- In 1920 Morton won a Junior Mathematical Scholarship and when he graduated in 1921 he won a Senior Mathematical Scholarship.
- Dixon was particularly interested in applications of algebra to geometry and Morton was inspired by him to undertake research in this area.
- While at Oxford, Morton advised his fellow student Mary Cartwright.
- It was a painful decision, over which she agonised for some time, but Morton gave her very sensible advice.
- After leaving Oxford, Morton was appointed as a lecturer at Brighton Technical College.
- (This College was later named Brighton College of Technology and now is known as City College Brighton & Hove.) Morton taught there for a year which, he later said, gave him very valuable teaching experience.
- The reorganisation of the higher courses, and especially the establishment of a very desirable combined Honours course in Pure and Applied Mathematics, was carried out, thanks to the invaluable assistance afforded by Messrs V C Morton and W J Webber ...
- Vernon and Olive Morton lived at Eryl Mor, Brynymor Road, Aberystwyth and they had one son, David Charles Morton.
- Morton was promoted to Independent Lecturer and Head of the Pure Mathematics Department in 1926 and to Professor in 1933.
- From these reports you can follow the progress of the Department of Pure Mathematics under Morton's leadership over a period of 25 years.
- Morton's services in many capacities were frequently sought and highly valued by the University of Wales and by the College.
- When he reached the age of 65, Morton retired from his chair at Aberystwyth in 1961.
- We note that William Barry Pennington (1923- 1968) was appointed to fill Morton's chair at Aberystwyth when he retired in 1961.
- Aberystwyth University now awards the V C Morton Prize for outstanding performance by any Mathematics undergraduate.
Born 26 June 1896, Sheffield, England. Died 26 March 1978, Oxford, England.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin England
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
