John Harris Walter (14 December 1927 – 20 September 2021) was an American mathematician known for proving the

Walter theorem In mathematics, the Walter theorem, proved by , describes the finite groups whose Sylow 2-subgroup is abelian. used Bender's method to give a simpler proof. Statement Walter's theorem states that if ''G'' is a finite group whose 2-Sylow subgroups ...

in the theory of

finite group In abstract algebra, a finite group is a group whose underlying set is finite. Finite groups often arise when considering symmetry of mathematical or physical objects, when those objects admit just a finite number of structure-preserving tra ...

s. Born in Los Angeles, Walter received from

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

his bachelor's degree in 1951. He received from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

his master's degree in 1953 and his Ph.D. in 1954 with thesis ''Automorphisms of the Projective Unitary Groups'' under the supervision of Leonard Tornheim. Walter was a visiting professor in 1960/61 and 1965/66 at the University of Chicago, 1967/68 at Harvard University, and 1972/73 at the University of Cambridge, UK. He was a professor emeritus of mathematics at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

, where he became an associate professor in 1961 and a full professor in 1966. In 2012 he was elected a fellow 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, meetings, ...

. He died at the age of 93 in 2021.

Selected publications

*with

Daniel Gorenstein Daniel E. Gorenstein (January 1, 1923 – August 26, 1992) was an American mathematician best remembered for his contribution to the classification of finite simple groups. Gorenstein mastered calculus at age 12 and subsequently matriculated at ...

: *with Daniel Gorenstein: pages 85-151, ; 217–270, ; 354–393, . * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, John H. 1927 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Group theorists California Institute of Technology alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Fellows of the American Mathematical Society Scientists from Los Angeles