Person: Slaught, Herbert Ellsworth
Herbert Ellsworth Slaught was an American mathematician who became president of the Mathematical Association of America.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- The name Ellsworth was chosen by his parents to honour Colonel Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth who had been killed in the civil war on 24 May 1861.
- Slaught himself has said that he would probably have spent his life working on the farm if it had not happened, and the farm was apparently not a very good one.
- Slaught attended Colgate Academy in Hamilton until he graduated in 1879.
- Slaught was quickly promoted at the Peddie Institute, first to assistant principal in 1886, then to principal in 1889.
- So in 1892 Slaught accepted a two-year appointment to one of the first three fellowships awarded by the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago, which was just then opening its doors.
- Chicago had not been Slaught's first choice, for he had planned to undertake research for his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University and had applied for a fellowship.
- Slaught soon received promotion at the University of Chicago.
- Slaught remained at Chicago for the rest of his career, retiring from his chair in 1931.
- Many students who had studied calculus before, learned what the subject really meant in Professor Slaught's class.
- During 1902-3 Slaught travelled in Europe attending lectures by the leading mathematicians.
- The proposition took a more definite shape, under Slaught's impetus, at the April 1914 meeting of the Chicago Section of the Society.
- Slaught also became active in the organisation of the Mathematical Association of America and served as its President in 1919.
- Slaught was chairman of the local organising committee.
- Slaught acted as toastmaster at a joint dinner for all three societies.
- We can see from Slaught's work for many societies and associations which were interested in secondary school teaching that he had a strong interest in that area.
- Professor Slaught's manner was entirely unpretentious and free from the slightest affectation.
Born 21 July 1861, Watkins, New York, USA. Died 21 May 1937, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
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Origin Usa
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
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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
