August Crelle was an engineer and amateur mathematician who founded one of the first European mathematical journals, Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik, also known as Crelle's Journal.

Born in 1780 in Eichwerder, Germany to a family of moderate means who could not afford private instruction or schooling for their son, Crelle was largely self-educated. He studied engineering, and instead of going on to University to pursue his passion - mathematics - Crelle secured a position with the Prussian Ministry of the Interior, where he worked on the planning and design of Germany's first railway line.

Established and well-compensated in his position, Crelle was finally able to devote his spare time to mathematical theory. At age 36, he completed a thesis entitled De calculi variabilium in geometria et arte mechanica usu, which he submitted to the University of Heidelberg. The thesis earned him a doctorate degree.

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