Mary Frances Winston Newson
Encyclopedia
Mary Frances Winston Newson (August 7, 1869 – December 5, 1959) was an American mathematician. She became the first female American to receive a PhD in mathematics from a European university, namely the University of Göttingen in Germany
.
Newson was born Mary Frances Winston in Forreston, Illinois
. She and her older brother enrolled at the University of Wisconsin when she was 15. She graduated with honors in mathematics in 1889. After teaching at Downer College
in Fox Lake, Wisconsin
, she applied for a fellowship at Bryn Mawr College
in Pennsylvania
in 1890. Though she was initially turned down, she was urged by Professor Charlotte Scott
to reapply. She was awarded the fellowship the next year but chose to continue her studies at the University of Chicago
after a year.
At the International Mathematical Congress held at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
, she met Felix Klein
, who urged her to study at the University of Göttingen. With financial assistance from Christine Ladd-Franklin
, she arrived in Germany at the same time as two other American students, Margaret Maltby and Grace Chisholm. Her first paper, on the topic of hypergeometric functions, was published in 1894. She graduated magna cum laude and was awarded her PhD upon the publication of her dissertation, "Über den Hermite'schen Fall der Lamé'schen Differentialgleichungen
", in 1897. She published only one further article, the first English translation of the 1900 lecture by David Hilbert
presenting the first ten of his famous problems
, issued in the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society
.
Newson became head of the one-person mathematics department at Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University
). In 1900, she left that job and married Henry Byron Newson, head of the mathematics department at the University of Kansas
. They had three children but Henry Newson died of a heart attack in 1910. Eventually, Newson found a teaching position in 1913 at Washburn College in Kansas
. Newson was one of eight Washburn faculty members to sign a petition defending a political science professor fired because of his political views. All of the signers left Washburn within a year or two, including Newson, who became department head at Eureka College
in her native Illinois
until her retirement in 1942.
Newson was one of only 22 women to join the American Mathematical Association before 1900. In 1940, she was honored by the Women's Centennial Congress
as one of a hundred women in positions not open to women a century earlier. International relations
was a hobby of Newson and her three children started the Mary Winston Newson Memorial Lecture on International Relations at Eureka College.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Newson was born Mary Frances Winston in Forreston, Illinois
Forreston, Illinois
Forreston is a village in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,446 at the 2010 census, down from 1,469 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Forreston is located at ....
. She and her older brother enrolled at the University of Wisconsin when she was 15. She graduated with honors in mathematics in 1889. After teaching at Downer College
Downer College
Downer College was a women's college in Fox Lake, Wisconsin, chartered in 1855 and opening in September, 1856.-History:It was founded in 1854 as Wisconsin Female College under the auspices of the Wisconsin Baptist Convention to prepare women for missionary service. It was poorly funded, and was...
in Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Fox Lake is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,454. The city is located within the Town of Fox Lake.-Geography:...
, she applied for a fellowship at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1890. Though she was initially turned down, she was urged by Professor Charlotte Scott
Charlotte Scott
Charlotte Angas Scott D.Sc. was a British mathematician who spent the later part of her career in the United States and was influential in the development of American mathematics, including the mathematical education of women.Scott played an important role in Cambridge changing its rules for the...
to reapply. She was awarded the fellowship the next year but chose to continue her studies at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
after a year.
At the International Mathematical Congress held at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, she met Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
, who urged her to study at the University of Göttingen. With financial assistance from Christine Ladd-Franklin
Christine Ladd-Franklin
Christine Ladd-Franklin was the first American woman psychologist, logician, and mathematician.-Early Life and Early Education:...
, she arrived in Germany at the same time as two other American students, Margaret Maltby and Grace Chisholm. Her first paper, on the topic of hypergeometric functions, was published in 1894. She graduated magna cum laude and was awarded her PhD upon the publication of her dissertation, "Über den Hermite'schen Fall der Lamé'schen Differentialgleichungen
Differential equation
A differential equation is a mathematical equation for an unknown function of one or several variables that relates the values of the function itself and its derivatives of various orders...
", in 1897. She published only one further article, the first English translation of the 1900 lecture by David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
presenting the first ten of his famous problems
Hilbert's problems
Hilbert's problems form a list of twenty-three problems in mathematics published by German mathematician David Hilbert in 1900. The problems were all unsolved at the time, and several of them were very influential for 20th century mathematics...
, issued in the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society
Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society
The Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society is a quarterly mathematical journal published by the American Mathematical Society...
.
Newson became head of the one-person mathematics department at Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
). In 1900, she left that job and married Henry Byron Newson, head of the mathematics department at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. They had three children but Henry Newson died of a heart attack in 1910. Eventually, Newson found a teaching position in 1913 at Washburn College in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Newson was one of eight Washburn faculty members to sign a petition defending a political science professor fired because of his political views. All of the signers left Washburn within a year or two, including Newson, who became department head at Eureka College
Eureka College
Eureka College is a liberal arts college in Eureka, Illinois related by covenant to the Christian Church and founded in 1855. It has a strong focus on the mutual development of intellect and character. Stated core values are learning, service and leadership...
in her native Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
until her retirement in 1942.
Newson was one of only 22 women to join the American Mathematical Association before 1900. In 1940, she was honored by the Women's Centennial Congress
Women's Centennial Congress
The Women's Centennial Congress was organized by Carrie Chapman Catt and held at the Astor Hotel on November 25-27, 1940 to celebrate a century of female progress. The date was 100 years after the first World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840, where women were forbidden from speaking or...
as one of a hundred women in positions not open to women a century earlier. International relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
was a hobby of Newson and her three children started the Mary Winston Newson Memorial Lecture on International Relations at Eureka College.