Leonid Vitalyevich Kantorovich was a Soviet mathematician who is considered notable not only for his contributions to mathematics, but to economics, as well. Kantorovich developed and applied mathematical problems to the area of economic planning. His work, which was sometimes considered to be controversial, was so influential that he was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics in 1975.

Kantorovich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on January 19, 1912. It became evident early in his life that he was mathematically gifted. He was widely recognized as a brilliant mathematician by the time he received a doctorate in mathematics from Leningrad State University in 1930, when he was 18 years old. He was named a professor there in 1934, and remained in that position until 1960.

Although he was trained only in mathematics, Kantorovich had a keen interest in, and profound understanding of economics. His work in both fields has been widely recognized, and, in 1961 he...