James Morris Page
James Morris Page | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1864 |
| Died | March 18, 1936 (aged 72) |
| Title | Chairman of faculty (1903-1904) Professor of pure mathematics (1896-1934) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | PhD, Leipzig University MA, Randolph–Macon College |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Mathematician |
| Sub-discipline | Pure mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Virginia |
James Morris Page (born March 4, 1864 - March 18, 1936) was an American mathematician, dean and chairman of faculty of University of Virginia.[1] He was the last chairman of the University of Virginia before the office was replaced by the presidency.
Early life and education
James Morris Page was born in Albemarle County, Virginia on March 4, 1864. His parents were Thomas Walker Page and Nancy Watson Morris.[2] He was a descendant of English settler John Page, and a relative of Walter Hines Page and Robert N. Page.[3]
He graduated from Randolph–Macon College with a Master of Arts and subsequently served as assistant chair of mathematics. He received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Leipzig University, graduating magna cum laude in 1887. During his time at Liepzig, he befriended and studied with Sophus Lie, Friedrich Engels, and Felix Klein.[2]
Academic career
Page returned to Virginia and founded the Keswick School in Cobham, Albemarle County, Virginia, where he taught for seven years. He returned to Europe to complete his work Differential Equations, published by Macmillan, in 1895.[2]
He returned to the United States in 1896 and became a fellow and lecturer of Johns Hopkins University.[2] He was made an adjunct professor of pure mathematics at University of Virginia in 1896 and later became full professor.[4] Page was appointed chairman of UVA's faculty after the resignation of Paul Brandon Barringer in 1903, and served in that role until 1904 when the office was changed to a presidency. He was succeeded by Edwin Alderman, UVA's first president.[2] He continued to teach mathematics at UVA until 1934.[1]
Later life
Page had six children, including Constance Page Daniel, the first woman to graduate from UVA's winter school. They lived in Charlottesville, Virginia near the university. He spoke several languages fluently, including German. After suffering a stroke, he began speaking in German instead of English. As his daughter Constance had studied German, she was able to communicate with him.[5] He died in Charlottesville on March 18, 1936.[6]
References
- ^ a b "In Memoriam: 1930s, Winter 2011". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Virginia, University of (1905). Installation of the First President of the University of Virginia, Dr. Edwin Anderson Alderman, April 13, 1905. Eddy Press Corporation. p. 71.
- ^ Makers of America; biographies of leading men of thought and action, the men who constitute the bone and sinew of American prosperity and life. Washington, D.C., B.F. Johnson. 1915–1922. p. 487 – via New York Public Library.
- ^ Barringer, Paul Brandon; Garnett, James Mercer; Page, Rosewell (1904). University of Virginia: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni. Lewis. p. 234.
- ^ Daniel, Constance Page. "The Way We Were: The '20s and '30s at UVA: A conversation with Constance Page Daniel". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ^ Teaching, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of (1936). Annual Report. The Foundation. p. 126.