John Howard Van Amringe (April 3, 1836 – September 10, 1915) was an American educator and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

Life and career

John Howard Van Amringe by Eastman Johnson

Van Amringe was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

on April 3, 1835. He was a son of William Frederick Van Amringe (1791–1873) and Susan Budd (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Stirling) Van Amringe (1798–1891). Among his siblings was brother, Thomas Budd Van Amringe. He entered

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1856 and graduated from the school with a degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1860. Three years later, he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, and in 1890, he was made a

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

Career

While still an undergraduate, he taught mathematics at Columbia, taking his junior classes in Greek. He became a full-fledged member of the faculty in the fall of 1860, becoming a full professor in 1865 and teaching until his retirement in 1910. During 1864 to 1865, he was also a lecturer in the

School of Mines A school of mines (or mining school) is an engineering school, often established in the 18th and 19th centuries, that originally focused on mining engineering and applied science. Most have been integrated within larger constructs such as mine ...

. After serving as Dean of the

School of Fine Arts The School of Fine Arts or College of Fine Arts is the official name or part of the name of several schools of fine arts, often as an academic part of a larger university. These include: The Americas North America *Alabama School of Fine ...

in 1895, Van Amringe succeeded

Seth Low Seth Low (January 18, 1850 – September 17, 1916) was an American educator and political figure who served as the mayor of Brooklyn from 1881 to 1885, the president of Columbia University from 1890 to 1901, a diplomatic representative of ...

to become the first

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Columbia College, the university's undergraduate school of arts and sciences, which he defended from dismemberment and incorporation into the larger university. During his long presence at the school, he made many addresses and enjoyed unrivaled popularity. Van Amringe also served as the first president of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meeting ...

from 1888 and 1890 and was a member of the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum ...

and the American Society for the Advancement of Science. He is memorialized with a bust enshrined in a column-supported cupola on "Van Am Quad" in the southeastern portion of the campus, surrounded by three Columbia College dormitories (

John Jay Hall John Jay Hall is a 15-story building located on the southeastern extremity of the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in New York City, on the northwestern corner of 114th St. and Amsterdam Avenue. Named for Founding Father, ''The ...

, Hartley Hall, and Wallach Hall) and by the main College academic building, Hamilton Hall. The Memorial was built in 1917 and 1918, and was dedicated on Commencement Day in 1918.

Personal life

2014 Columbia University John Howard Van Amringe Memorial

Van Amringe was married to Cornelia Bucknor (1838–1914), the daughter of William Goelet Bucknor. Cornelia was the great-granddaughter of

Peter Goelet Peter Goelet (January 5, 1727 – October 11, 1811) was a merchant and real estate entrepreneur of New York City. Early life Peter Goelet was born on January 5, 1727, in New York City. He was the fifth of thirteen children born to Jan "John" G ...

, a wealthy merchant and real estate entrepreneur in New York City. Together, Cornelia and John were the parents of: * Emily Van Amringe (1867–1955), who died not marry. * Guy Van Amringe (1869–1936), a magistrate of the New York Municipal Court. Van Amringe died suddenly on September 10, 1915 at the Keeler House in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. After a funeral conducted by the Rev. Dr. William T. Manning (later the 10th Bishop of New York), Rector of Trinity Church (where he was a Vestryman), he was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Honors and legacy

Van Amringe received a number of honorary degrees including Ph.D. from the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it is, in fact, a lic ...

in 1877 and an LL.D. from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1895. In honor of Van Amringe, Columbia University's Department of Mathematics has presented a " Van Amringe Mathematical Prize" each year (since 1911) to the best freshman or sophomore mathematics student, based on a very challenging examination.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Amringe, John Howard 1836 births 1915 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century American mathematicians 20th-century American mathematicians Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Columbia University faculty Mathematicians from Philadelphia Presidents of the American Mathematical Society Presidents of Columbia University