GRACE CHISHOLM YOUNG & WILLIAM HENRY YOUNG

Grace Chisholm Young (March 15, 1868 March 29, 1944) and William Henry Young (October 20, 1863 July 7, 1942) or!ed an e"ce#t$onal !athe!at$cal #artner%h$# that #roduced %o!e 220 !athe!at$cal art$cle%, %e&eral boo'% and %$" ch$ldren( )orn $n *a%le!ere, +n,land, -race .h$%hol! /a% tau,ht at ho!e by a ,o&erne%% unt$l a,e 17( .h$%hol!0% a!$ly d$d not th$n' her /$%h to %tudy !ed$c$ne /a% a %u$table cho$ce, but they d$d a##ro&e o her %oc$al con%c$ou%ne%% $n /or'$n, a!on, the #oor o 1ondon( 2he entered -$rton .olle,e, .a!br$d,e, /here her !athe!at$c% tutor /a% 3$ll$a! 4oun,( 5lthou,h /o!en /ere not a/arded or!al de,ree% ro! .a!br$d,e at the t$!e, .h$%hol! earned the e6u$&alent o a $r%t cla%% de,ree $n !athe!at$c% $n 1892( 2$nce /o!en /ere not allo/ed to attend +n,l$%h ,raduate %chool%, %he tra&eled to -er!any to %tudy at -7tt$n,en, /here %he co!#leted a doctorate /$th a the%$% The algebraic groups of spherical trigonometry, d$rected by 8el$" 9le$n( -race /a% the $r%t /o!an to rece$&e a or!al doctorate $n any %ub:ect $n -er!any( 2onya 9o&ale&%'aya /a% a/arded a doctorate $n !athe!at$c% $n ab%ent$a ro! -7tt$n,en, but %he ne&er attended the un$&er%$ty, nor d$d the aculty e"a!$ne her(

)orn $n 1ondon, 3$ll$a! 4oun, attended the .$ty o 1ondon 2chool /ho%e head!a%ter /a% +d/$n 5( 5bbott, the author o the #o#ular !athe!at$cal anta%y Flatland( 5bbott reco,n$;ed 4oun,0% !athe!at$cal ab$l$ty and encoura,ed h$! to %tudy $t at un$&er%$ty( 3$ll, a% he /a% called, /a% an out%tand$n, %tudent at <eterhou%e, .a!br$d,e, /here ro! 1886 to 1892, he /a% a 8ello/, tutor$n, %tudent% or the !athe!at$cal tr$#o%( 5lthou,h ne&er a##o$nted to #re%t$,$ou% un$&er%$ty cha$r%, he had

the d$%t$nct$on o %er&$n, a% #re%$dent o the 1ondon Mathe!at$cal 2oc$ety (1922 = 1924) and #re%$dent o the >nternat$onal Mathe!at$cal ?n$on (1929 = 1936)( 5!on, h$% !o%t $!#ortant !athe!at$cal /or'% /ere h$% $nde#endent d$%co&ery o the $nte,ral na!ed today or *enr$ 1ebe%,ue, h$% /or' on 8our$er %er$e%, and h$% boo' The Fundamental Theorems of the Differential Calculus (1910)(

3hen 3$ll $r%t a%'ed -race to !arry h$! %he decl$ned, but he #er%$%ted $n h$% %u$t, and, $n 1896 they /ed, be,$nn$n, a #er%onal and #ro e%%$onal #artner%h$# that la%ted 44 year%( >n 1906 The Theory of Set Points /a% #ubl$%hed under both the$r na!e%( >t /a% @the $r%t co!#rehen%$&e te"tboo' on %et theory /$th a##l$cat$on% to the ,eneral theory o unct$on%(A Bhe 4oun,% le t +n,land or -7tt$n,en /here, e"ce#t or a year $n >taly, they l$&ed unt$l 1908 /hen they !o&ed to -ene&a, 2/$t;erland( Bhen $n 1915 they !ade 1au%anne the$r #er!anent ho!e( Cur$n, the year% 1913 = 1919, 3$ll held t/o #art=t$!e cha$r%, one at .alcutta ?n$&er%$ty and one at the ?n$&er%$ty o 1$&er#ool( >n 1919, he /a% a##o$nted to the cha$r o !athe!at$c% at the ?n$&er%$ty o 3ale% $n 5bery%t/yth, /here he re!a$ned unt$l 1923( Bhe%e a##o$nt!ent% re6u$red h$! to be %e#arated ro! -race and the$r ch$ldren or e"tended #er$od%( )ut /hen they /ere to,ether they !er,ed the$r $nd$&$dual talent% $n the creat$on o $!#ortant !athe!at$cal re%ult%(

<r$or to the$r !arr$a,e, 3$ll had %ho/n l$ttle $ntere%t $n re%earch, but $t !eant e&eryth$n, to -race( *e /a% &ery creat$&e but not terr$bly attent$&e to deta$l%( -race #re#ared h$% #a#er% or #ubl$cat$on, o ten $ll$n, $n ,a#% $n h$% #roo % and correct$n, h$% !$%ta'e%( >t0% #robable that !any o the #a#er% that he #ubl$%hed /ere a collaborat$on o hu%band and /$ e( *o/ !uch /a% the /or' o one or the other l$'ely ne&er /$ll be 'no/n( >n a letter to -race, he ac'no/led,ed her $!#ortance $n the$r #artner%h$#, but he al%o reco,n$;ed the cl$!ate o the t$!eD @Bhe act $% that our #a#er% ou,ht to be #ubl$%hed under our :o$nt na!e%, but $ th$% /ere done ne$ther o u% ,et the bene $t o $t( Eo( M$ne the laurel% no/ and the 'no/led,e( 4our% the 'no/led,e

only F at #re%ent you cannot underta'e a #ubl$c career( 4ou ha&e the ch$ldren( > can and do(A

>n 1905 -race .h$%hol! 4oun, #ubl$%hed the First Book of Geometry( >n $t %he attac'ed the #roble! %tudent% ha&e learn$n, %ol$d ,eo!etry becau%e o the d$ $culty $n ade6uately re#re%ent$n, three= d$!en%$onal $,ure% on a t/o=d$!en%$onal %ur ace( 2he dealt /$th the co!#l$cat$on by de!on%trat$n, ho/ to con%truct three=d$!en%$onal ob:ect% by cutt$n,, old$n, and re old$n, %#ec$al #attern% that %he called @net%(A 2tudent% could handle the%e, and $n the #roce%% d$%co&er the %ol$d%0 #ro#ert$e% and &$%ual$;e the theore!% o %ol$d ,eo!etry( )et/een 1914 and 1916 %he #ubl$%hed #a#er% under her o/n na!e on the oundat$on% o calculu%, /h$ch earned her the -a!ble <r$;e ro! -$rton .olle,e(

5l/ay% ea,er to e"tend her%el , -race returned to her early $ntere%t $n !ed$c$ne, co!#let$n, all re6u$re!ent% or a !ed$cal de,ree e"ce#t the $ntern%h$#( 2he !a%tered %$" lan,ua,e% and ound t$!e to teach the! to each o her ch$ldren( 2he al%o %hared /$th the! her %en%e o cur$o%$ty and the de%$re to learn( Bhe 4oun,0% elde%t %on, 8ran', an G58 #$lot, /a% '$lled $n 33>( .ec$ly too' a doctorate $n !athe!at$c%( Janet beca!e a #hy%$c$an( *elen Mar$on co!#leted an under,raduate de,ree $n !athe!at$c%( 1aurence, a che%% !a%ter, tau,ht !athe!at$c% or t/enty=e$,ht year% at the ?n$&er%$ty o 3$%con%$n( Bhe$r youn,e%t, <atr$c', tra$ned a% a che!$%t, #ur%ued a career $n #ubl$c $nance and d$#lo!acy( 1aurence0% dau,hter, 2yl&$a 3$e,and, $% a !athe!at$c% #ro e%%or at the ?n$&er%$ty o Eebra%'a and #a%t #re%$dent o the 5%%oc$at$on or 3o!en $n Mathe!at$c%(

>n 1940, ear$n, the %#read o 3orld 3ar >>, -race le t 3$ll $n 2/$t;erland to ta'e t/o o the$r ,randch$ldren to +n,land( 2he #lanned to return $!!ed$ately, but due to the all o 8rance to the -er!an% /a% unable to do %o( 3$ll %#ent the la%t t/o year% o h$% l$ e lonely and de#re%%ed, ne&er to %ee h$% a!$ly a,a$n( B/o year% a ter h$% death $n 1942, -race d$ed o a heart attac' be ore %he could rece$&e the honorary de,ree that -$rton .olle,e #lanned to a/ard her(

uo!a!ion o" !he #ayD @3hen all $% %a$d, $t re!a$n% that !y ather had $dea% and a /$de ,ra%# o
%ub:ect%, but /a% by nature undec$dedH h$% !$nd /or'ed only /hen %t$!ulated by the react$on% o a %y!#athet$c aud$ence( My !other had dec$%$&ene%% and the %ta!$na to carry an underta'$n, to $t% conclu%$on( *er %'$ll $n under%tand$n, and $n re%#ond$n,, and her #lea%ure $n e"erc$%$n, th$% %'$ll led her naturally $nto the #o%$t$on %he $lled %o un$6uely( > %he had not had that %'$ll, !y ather0% ,en$u% /ould #robably ha&e been abort$&e, and /ould not ha&e ecl$#%ed her% and the na!e %he had already !ade or her%el (A Go%al$nd .ec$ly 4oun, Banner