de Morgan, Augustus (1806-1871)

1835-1865

1 file (19 items)

Purchased from Stevens, London, July 1930 (acc.56545), Christie's, London, November 1935 (acc.69132), and either from Desgranges, Paris, January 1936, or Glendining, London, c.1932 (acc.69293). Some items transferred from Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, c.1939 (acc.91800), no previous provenance noted.

Augustus de Morgan (1806-1871), mathematician and historian, was born in Madura, India, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He became first Professor of Mathematics at London University in 1828; he resigned in 1831 over issues of academic independence but resumed the post in 1836, serving for 30 years. He wrote not merely upon mathematics but also upon its history and on that of astronomy; he was an enthusiastic advocate of a decimal currency. In collaboration with his wife Sophia Elizabeth (1809-1892) née Frend he also wrote on spiritualism and mediumship. He died in Hampstead in 1871. For further information see his entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.