1638-1675

Scottish Mathematician

James Gregory published papers on a number of mathematical and scientific subjects, and a look at his unpublished papers suggests an even more wide-ranging talent. Among his most notable contributions were his laying of the groundwork for the development of calculus, as well as his experiments in optics, which greatly influenced the later work of Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Yet Gregory had the misfortune to be caught up in political struggles that pitted his new ideas against a stodgy and powerful academic establishment, and this greatly limited the influence and perhaps even the length of his career.

Gregory was born in Drumoak, Scotland, the son of John, a minister, and Janet Anderson Gregory. Because her son was sickly, Janet Gregory proceeded to teach him at home, including in the curriculum subjects—most notably, geometry—barely known to most men at the time, let alone...