The doctoral thesis completed by Robert König in 1907 examined oscillation properties of eigenfunctions within integral equations under the supervision of David Hilbert. This early academic achievement set the trajectory for a long career in mathematics, spanning institutions across Germany and Austria, and culminating in significant contributions to the fields of cartography and geodesy during the mid-twentieth century.
Academic Formation and Early Career
Born in Linz in 1885, König attended the University of Vienna and Leipzig University before completing his studies at the University of Göttingen. He achieved his habilitation at Leipzig in 1911 with a focus on the conformal mapping of spatial corners. His career progressed through various professorial appointments, including roles at the University of Tübingen and the University of Münster, where he succeeded Leon Lichtenstein in 1922. During this period, he collaborated with Maximilian Krafft to publish a textbook regarding elliptic functions.
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In 1927, König moved to the University of Jena to serve as an institute director. Alongside colleague Friedrich Karl Schmidt, he maintained the department's focus on pure mathematics through 1943. Both men actively opposed the influence of Nazism within academic staffing procedures. Despite these institutional pressures, he was elected as a full member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1934.
Post-War Research and Later Contributions
Following World War II, König relocated to the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Between 1947 and 1950, he facilitated faculty appointments for mathematicians including Constantin Carathéodory and Eberhard Hopf. He served as a professor there from 1950 until 1955. His later work expanded into applied mathematics, specifically cartography and geodesy; he co-authored a technical volume on these subjects with Karl-Heinrich Weise in 1951. He was named a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1953.
Fast facts
- Born: 1885, Linz, Austria
- Died: 1979, Munich, Germany
- Doctoral Advisor: David Hilbert
- Academic Home: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Professional Fields: Mathematics, Geodesy, Cartography
- Memberships: Saxon Academy, Bavarian Academy
- Burial Site: Munich Waldfriedhof
Questions readers ask
Which universities employed Robert König?
He held positions at the universities of Münster, Tübingen, Jena, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
What subjects did König research outside of pure mathematics?
He performed work in the fields of geodesy and cartography, co-authoring a book on their mathematical foundations in 1951.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Tübingen, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and University of Münster
- Fields: mathematics, geodesy and cartography
