1898-1962

Born in Vienna, Austria, Artin served in his country's army during World War I before entering the University of Leipzig, receiving a doctorate in mathematics at this famous school. However, he was forced to leave Austria in 1937 because his wife was Jewish. It was America's good fortune that he emigrated there and taught at Notre Dame, Indiana University, and at the prestigious Princeton University. Artin was invited to return to Germany in 1958, where he was welcomed to the University of Hamburg faculty. His best known books are Geometric Algebra (1957) and Class Field Theory (1961). The American Mathematical Society awarded its coveted Cole Prize in number theory to Artin.