Harvard University served as both the academic base and the final site of life for William Caspar Graustein, a mathematician who navigated the early twentieth-century American academic landscape. Born in Cambridge in 1888, his career was marked by significant contributions to geometry and dedicated service as an educator within the university system where he first completed his undergraduate studies.
Academic Foundation
Graustein completed his studies at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in 1910. He supplemented his American mathematical training with a period of study at the University of Bonn. This dual institutional exposure provided him with the grounding necessary for his subsequent tenure as an instructor and eventually a professor of mathematics at Harvard. During his career, he also assumed the administrative responsibilities of an assistant dean.
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His research interests primarily focused on geometry, a field he documented in his 1935 work, Differential Geometry. Published by the MacMillan Company, this text later saw republications by Dover in 1966 and 2006. His scholarly output included papers such as The scientific work of Joseph Lipka, Applicability with preservation of both curvatures, and Extensions of the four-vertex theorem. His standing within the academic community was formally recognized through his membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Personal Life and Final Years
In 1921, Graustein married Mary Curtis Graustein. His spouse holds the distinction of being the first American woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from Radcliffe College in 1917. Graustein remained active in his faculty roles until his death in 1941. He died in Cambridge at the age of 52 following an automobile accident.
Fast facts
- Born: 1888, Cambridge
- Died: 1941, Cambridge
- Citizenship: United States
- Alma Mater: Harvard University, University of Bonn
- Spouse: Mary Curtis Graustein
- Selected Work: Differential Geometry (1935)
Questions readers ask
Where did William Caspar Graustein teach?
He was a member of the faculty at Harvard University, where he also served as an assistant dean.
What were his primary research interests?
He focused on mathematics, specifically contributing to the field of differential geometry.
Achievements
- Held posts at Harvard University
- Fields: mathematics
