Martin Joseph Newell (Máirtín Ó Tnúthail) (1910 - 1985) was an Irish

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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and educationalist, who served as President of

University College Galway The University of Galway () is a public university, public research university located in the city of Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Ga ...

from 1960 to 1975. Martin J. Newell was born in 1910, and received his secondary education at

St. Joseph's Patrician College St. Joseph's Patrician College, often known as "The Bish", is a secondary school in the West Region, Ireland, West Ireland city of Galway. Founded by the Patrician Brothers, a religious order, it has approximately 800 students on roll and, in ...

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, before entering

(UCG).Bulletin of the Irish Mathematics Society, volume 19, 1987. doi: 10.33232/BIMS.0019.13.21
Dr. Martin J. Newell (1910-1985) by Sean Tobin He was auditor of the college's Literary and Debating Society for the 1928-1929 session, and graduated with a B.Sc. in 1929 and an M.Sc. in 1930, both with first class honours. He then proceeded to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he spent three years, eventually engaging in research on

quantum theory Quantum theory may refer to: Science *Quantum mechanics, a major field of physics *Old quantum theory, predating modern quantum mechanics * Quantum field theory, an area of quantum mechanics that includes: ** Quantum electrodynamics ** Quantum chr ...

with

Ralph Fowler Sir Ralph Howard Fowler (17 January 1889 – 28 July 1944) was an English physicist, physical chemist, and astronomer. Education Ralph H. Fowler was born at Roydon, Essex, on 17 January 1889 to Howard Fowler, from Burnham, Somerset, and France ...

. Newell returned to UCG as a lecturer in mathematics in 1935, and was appointed Professor of Mathematics in 1955. In 1960, he was appointed to succeed Monsignor

Pádraig de Brún Pádraig Monsignor de Brún (13 October 1889 – 5 June 1960), also called Patrick Joseph Monsignor Browne, was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, linguist, Classicist, and Celticist. With regard to his contribution to Modern literature in Iris ...

as President of the college. He held the office of president until his retirement in 1975. A lecture theatre in the Arts Millennium Building is named in his honour. Newell was the recipient of a D.Sc. (1952) from the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

, and an LL.D. (honoris causa) from the

University of Dublin The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...

. He died in 1985. Martin J. Newell is the father of mathematician and Gaelic footballer Martin Leonard Newell.Martin L. Newell at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
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References

1910 births 1985 deaths Academics of the University of Galway Presidents of the University of Galway Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 20th-century Irish mathematicians {{ireland-scientist-stub