Leo Zippin (January 25, 1905 – May 11, 1995) was an American mathematician. He is best known for solving Hilbert's Fifth Problem with

Deane Montgomery Deane Montgomery (September 2, 1909 – March 15, 1992) was an American mathematician specializing in topology who was one of the contributors to the final resolution of Hilbert's fifth problem in the 1950s. He served as president of the Americ ...

and Andrew M. Gleason in 1952.

Biography

Leo Zippin was born in 1905 to Bella Salwen and Max Zippin, who had emigrated to New York City from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in 1903. He did his

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

and graduate work at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1929. His doctoral adviser was John Robert Kline. Leo Zippin is the author of ''The Uses Of Infinity'', and together with Deane Montgomery, the monograph ''Topological Transformation Groups''. In 1952, he, along with Andrew M. Gleason and

solved Hilbert's fifth problem.

Personal life

He married Frances Levinson in 1932. They had two children, Nina, a prominent literary critic and literary historian, and Vivian.known as Vivian B. Narehood, an attorney at Gibbel Kraybill & Hess
He taught at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

in Flushing, NY.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zippin, Leo 1905 births 1995 deaths University of Pennsylvania alumni 20th-century American mathematicians American topologists American geometers Queens College, City University of New York faculty Scientists from New York City Mathematicians from New York (state)