Melvin Dresher (born Dreszer; March 13, 1911 – June 4, 1992) was a Polish-born American

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 ...

, notable for developing, alongside Merrill Flood, the game theoretical model of cooperation and conflict known as the

Prisoner's dilemma The prisoner's dilemma is a game theory thought experiment involving two rational agents, each of whom can either cooperate for mutual benefit or betray their partner ("defect") for individual gain. The dilemma arises from the fact that while def ...

while at RAND in 1950 ( Albert W. Tucker gave the game its prison-sentence interpretation, and thus the name by which it is known today).

Education and career

Dresher came to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1923. He obtained his B.S. from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

in 1933 and went on to complete his Ph.D. at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1937 under the supervision of Øystein Ore. His dissertation was titled "Multi-Groups: A Generalisation of the Notion of Group." Dresher's career began as instructor of mathematics at Michigan State College from 1938 to 1941, he then served as statistician for the War Production Board from 1941 to 1944, and worked as a mathematical physicist for the National Defense Research Committee from 1944 to 1946 Dresher became a professor of mathematics at the Catholic University of America from 1946 to 1947, before joining RAND in 1948 as a research mathematician. Dresher was the author of several RAND research papers on game theory, and his widely acclaimed book ''The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications'' (originally published in 1961 as ''Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications'') continues to be studied today. Dresher's research has been referenced and discussed in a variety of published books, including ''Prisoner's Dilemma'' by William Poundstone and '' A Beautiful Mind'' by Sylvia Nasar.

Family

Dresher married Martha Whitaker in 1937 and had a son, Paul Dresher, and a daughter.

Bibliography

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References

* Obituary, July 2, 1992 issue of the ''Palisadian-Post'' newspaper (Pacific Palisades, California). * "In Remembrance", July 9, 1992 issue of ''RAND Items'' (a biweekly publication for employees of RAND). {{DEFAULTSORT:Dresher, Melvin 1911 births 1992 deaths Game theorists Yale University alumni RAND Corporation people 20th-century American mathematicians American people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish emigrants to the United States People from Krasnystaw