Person: Eisele, Carolyn
Carolyn Eisele was a mathematician who spent her whole career teaching at Hunter College. She is famed for her work on Charles Sanders Peirce, particularly in seeing the importance of mathematics in his work on philosophy and logic.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Carolyn Eisele entered Hunter College High School which had been founded in 1869 as the "The Female Normal and High School" but had changed its name in 1914, while Eisele was a pupil there, to "Hunter College High School for Intellectually Gifted Young Ladies".
- Eisele's preference would have been to major in physics but at this time Hunter College did not offer this option.
- At Columbia University, Eisele took mathematics courses leading to the award of an M.A. in 1925.
- This time at Columbia University was important for Eisele's subsequent research interests for she became fascinated with the history though D E Smith, and Keyser introduced her to the ideas of Charles Sanders Peirce.
- Captain Rudolph Eisele, 50 years old, of Engine Company 41, a veteran of twenty-four years' service in the Fire Department, was shot and probably mortally wounded last night as he stood in the door of his firehouse at 330 East 150th Street, the Bronx, by Fireman William Devin, a member of his company.
- Captain Rudolph Eisele of Engine Company 41, who was shot in the head Saturday night by one of his firemen, was reported in a critical condition late last night in Lincoln Hospital.
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- Rudolph Eisele, formerly a captain in the New York City Fire Department, was found hanging from a beam in the garage of his home at 34 South Randolph Avenue this morning by his wife, Mrs Caroline Eisele.
- A few years later, in New York, the Polish- American Wagnerian soprano Elsa Alsen recommended her own voice coach in Los Angeles, Morris Halpern, with whom Eisele studied (as did Kitty Carlisle Hart).
- Eisele spent 1934 in Los Angeles, where she continued her studies with Halpern while taking courses in mathematics at the University of Southern California.
- Among his students were Elsa Alsen, Kitty Carlisle and Carolyn Eisele.
- Alsen introduced Eisele to Halpern in June 1934 and he became her voice teacher.
- After she left Los Angeles in 1935 they exchanged love letters, then Halpern moved to New York to be with Eisele in August 1936.
- Caroline Eisele died in Manhattan State Hospital on 9 December 1942.
- Eisele had known Keyser well (he died on 8 May 1947)) and, obtaining a semester's sabbatical in 1947 to prepare for her history of mathematics course, she began undertaking research in Columbia University's archives.
- Although this publication began a remarkable collection of papers by Eisele about Charles S Peirce, it was not her first publication.
- The reader might wonder how Simons could obtain a Ph.D. from Columbia when Eisele could not.
- Other trips to libraries led Eisele to make further interesting discoveries.
- A collection of thirty essays and papers by Carolyn Eisele was published as the book Studies in the Scientific and Mathematical Philosophy of Charles S Peirce: Essays by Carolyn Eisele (1979), edited by Richard M Martin.
- It was not only with the Section that Eisele contributed much to the Society, for she also served on the Council of the main History of Science Society and on its Nominating Committee from 1959 to 1962.
- Eisele continued to teach at Hunter College where she was made a full professor in 1965.
- Remarkably, however, the majority of Eisele's research contributions came after her retirement.
- In 1985, the New York Academy of Sciences recognised Eisele for her seminal contributions to the history and philosophy of science through her publication of Peirce's mathematical and philosophical works.
- The Hunter Colloquium on Charles S Peirce was held in honour of Carolyn Eisele at Hunter College in May 1981.
- The papers, including one from Eisele herself, were published by Historia Mathematica in 1982 and also marked a celebration of Eisele's 80th birthday.
- Ten years after she joined the Peirce Edition Project, in 1992, Eisele suffered a severe stroke which left her almost totally incapacitated.
- Carolyn Eisele lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the 27th floor of an apartment building in midtown Manhattan.
Born 13 June 1902, The Bronx, New York City, USA. Died 15 January 2000, Manhattan, New York City, USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Usa, Women
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
