Walter Ledermann

Walter Ledermann

Mathematics

Born in Berlin in 1911, Walter Ledermann was a German mathematician. Being Jewish, Ledermann received a scholarship from the International Student Services to study in St Andrews in 1934, effectively fleeing the rising Nazism and antisemitism in Germany at the time. Ledermann received his PhD from St Andrews in 1936 and upon his graduation, became a lecturer in the University’s Mathematical Institute until 1946. Ledermann was also an advocate for greater economic accessibility within mathematics, publishing his own series of affordable textbooks, titled the Library of Mathematics. After teaching at the Universities of Manchester and Sussex, Ledermann retired in 1978 and died in London in 2009.

greatthinkers,internationaltour

1911

licb1@st-andrews.ac.uk

Organisation

250

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2545334

TEXT

Q2545334

D.O.B: 18 March 1911, Berlin, Germany D.O.D: 22 May 2009 (98 years old), London, England Family origins: • Father: William Ledermann o Father was Polish, though William considered himself to be fully German o Was originally a schoolteacher, then a doctor o With Hitler’s rise, was only allowed to practice on Jewish patients (and soon enough, there weren’t any) o Practiced as a doctor in the UK during the war under relaxed restrictions o Died in 1949 • Mother: Charlotte Apt o After husband’s death, lived in Israel with Walter’s 2 sisters in Israel • Brother: find name!!! o Studied medicine at Edinburgh o Became a doctor at a medical practice in London • Wife: Ruth (Rushi) Stefani Ledermann (née Stadler) o Obituary: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/oct/06/rushi-ledermann-obituary o Married Walter in 1946 o Jungian psychoanalyst o Worked at Child Guidance Clinic in Dundee during Ledermann’s time in St Andrews • Son: Jonathan Ledermann o Born in St Andrews o Wife: Sarah o Has four kids Private life/family life: • Raised in a Jewish family in Germany – fled Germany just after receiving his undergrad in Berlin because of Hitler’s rise to power and growing antisemitism • Sisters’ children and grandchildren reside in Israel (as of September 2000) • After his retirement in 1978, moved to London to be closer to his son Jonathan Any political involvement? • Anti-Nazism (presumably) Any religious involvement? • Jewish

Education: Leibniz Gymnasium (1928) – here, he was taught more mathematics than was typical for German gymnasiums at the time University of Berlin (1934) University of St Andrews (PhD 1936 supervised by Herbert Turnbull), (Teaching position 1938-1946) • One member of St Andrews Senate opposed to his teaching at St Andrews because he was a foreigner • Taught applied mathematics University of Dundee (Lecturer 1937) University of Edinburgh (DSc 1940) University of Manchester (Lecturer 1946-1962) • Taught pure mathematics University of Sussex (Reader 1962-1978, named a professor in 1965, after retirement named an Emeritus Professor) • One of the founding staff members, joining during the University’s opening in October 1962 • Gave revision lectures till 2002 (at the age of 91!!!!) Profession: Mathematician (Professional) Role in St Andrews: Received scholarship to study in St Andrews as a PhD student through the International Student Services in Geneva Years in St Andrews: January 1934 – 1936 (PhD Candidature) 1937: Temporary lecturer in Dundee 1938-1946: Teaching post in St Andrews Involved in which fields of scholarship? (e.g. geology, philosophy and medicine) Mathematics – • Homology Theory • Group Theory • Number Theory Most famous contribution(s) to scholarship /inventions/… 1: Received DSc from Edinburgh Uni for his work on intelligence testing with Professor Godfrey Thomson/the Moray House Group Most famous contribution(s) to scholarship/inventions/… 2: • Urged that cheap textbooks be available to undergraduate students o Oliver and Boyd textbooks made in response! However, Walter wasn’t allowed to become an editor because he was a foreigner  o Eventually published Introduction to the Theory of Finite Groups (1949) • Later decided that cheaper books for mathematicians, engineers and others were required o Established his Library of Mathematics (Routledge and Kegan Paul) which grew to over 20 volumes and became extremely popular! If you want to read one thing written by him/her, it should be: X • Memoir: Encounters of a Mathematician (2009) • Thesis: Classifying the Stabilizer of a Pencil (1936), sponsored by Turnbull • Wrote a number of textbooks (see above) Other societies/groups in St Andrews? • Edinburgh Mathematical Society (1934, 1938) both held in St Andrews Other societies/groups elsewhere? • Secretary to the first British Mathematical Colloquium (1949) Awards/Honours: • Elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1944) • Honorary doctorate from the Open University (1993)

2009

Possible human interest story 1: • Life in St Andrews o Never heard of St Andrews before receiving a scholarship to come here o Medic brother at Edinburgh found out about the St Andrews scholarships – Walter one the one for a Jewish student from Germany o Men on his train from Germany were thrown off by SS for speaking out against the Nazis – Walter (along with other men in the carriage) had to throw their luggage out the window o Mostly learned English from fellow St Andrews students Possible human interest story 2: • Fleeing from Nazi occupation in Germany Possible human interest story 3: • Love of music! (see: Encounters of a Mathematician) o Played the violin and viola o “Quickly became adept at playing reels and Strashpeys at the students’ hops” Possible human interest story 4: • Time in France as a boy Connected to other people in St Andrews or elsewhere?: St Andrews • Dr Herbert Turnbull (PhD supervisor) Elsewhere • Issai Schur Other interesting/quirky facts (not necessarily related to subject areas): • Took English lessons from a mother’s friend to prep for coming to St Andrews • Saw an opera with his father the night before he left for St Andrews – Hitler, Goebbels and Göring attended this night, not knowing that one of the leads was Jewish!!! • Visited his mother and sisters every other year in Israel Any eye-witness testimony/stories: • Obituary (Independent): • Obituary (Times): • Obituary (University of Sussex): http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/853 Biographical sources: (e.g. OxDNB, family memoir, other...) • Memoir: Encounters of a mathematician • September 2000 Interview (in St Andrews!): https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Ledermann_interview/ • November 2007 Interview for the 60th British Mathematical Colloquium (try and see if you can find this!)