[3] Oswald Veblen had finally been able to offer him a position at the IAS in 1939, independently of Princeton University, but Claytor turned it down. Grime, David (July 17, 2007). H S Deiss, Katherine Johnson: A Lifetime of STEM, J A Donaldson, Black Americans in mathematics, in, J L Houston, William W Shieffelin Claytor. Dr. Claytor remained at Howard University until his retirement in 1965, eventually serving as Chair of the department of Mathematics at Howard. Undark uses cookies to analyze site traffic and to provide social media features.

from Howard University in 1929 and 1930 respectively. [9], Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, Mathematics and the Politics of Race: The Case of William Claytor, "David Blackwell, Scholar of Probability, Dies at 91", Peanian continua not embeddable in a spherical surface, Topological immersion of Peanian continua in a spherical surface, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Schieffelin_Claytor&oldid=957640629, Military personnel from Norfolk, Virginia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 May 2020, at 20:43. [1], Claytor applied for a National Research Council Fellowship to work at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), which at the time was housed in Princeton University, but was rejected on racial grounds. Woodard, in fact, supervised Claytor's master's thesis. S W Williams, William Schieffelin Claytor. [4] Kline wrote to Moore saying: "Claytor wrote a very fine thesis. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account.

Top: William Claytor, shown here with his wife, the psychologist Mae Pullins, was only the third African-American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. His work is cited today and topologists from around the world continue to praise his abilities. In 1936, Claytor accepted a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Michigan working under the direction of renowned mathematician Professor R.L. When Claytor was five years old, his father moved the family to Washington, D.C., where he worked briefly for the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, after which he established his own dental practice in the nation’s capital. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, William Waldron Schiefflin Claytor earned his A.B. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. California Moves to Protect Public Health Workers, Experts Question Those ‘Scary’ Covid Heart Studies, Abstracts: U.S. Covid-19 Death Toll Tops 200,000, Book Review: Finding Wonder and Solace in Nature, Opinion: The Dangers of Russia’s Vaccine Stunt, The Unlikely Endurance of the Rubik’s Cube, From Missing Persons to Critical Biography: Reframing Minority Identity in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Why Women Still Rarely Win Science Nobels.

He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, where his father was a dentist. [5] At West Virginia his students included Katherine Johnson who later worked on the space program for NASA. But the barriers of institutional racism were too great to surmount, and Claytor was not offered the position. He was a Black mathematician and educator.

Email:maaservice@maa.org, Spotlight: Archives of American Mathematics, Policy for Establishing Endowments and Funds, Welcoming Environment, Code of Ethics, and Whistleblower Policy, Themed Contributed Paper Session Proposals, Panel, Poster, Town Hall, and Workshop Proposals, Guidelines for the Section Secretary and Treasurer, Regulations Governing the Association's Award of The Chauvenet Prize, Selden Award Eligibility and Guidelines for Nomination, AMS-MAA-SIAM Gerald and Judith Porter Public Lecture, Putnam Competition Individual and Team Winners, Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 Prize and Awards, National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NREUP), Best Practices Statements from the Committee on Faculty and Departments, Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement (SUMMA). [5] In 1937 he received a Rosenwald Fellowship at the University of Michigan;[6] he stayed there for several years, but was not allowed to attend research seminars. In many ways I think that it is perhaps the best that I have ever had done under my direction."[1]. In 1947, at the invitation of David Blackwell, chair of the mathematics department at Howard University, Claytor returned to his alma mater as a faculty member. Most the thirteen children went on to become farmers, teachers or medical doctors. Further information on Dr. Claytor can be found in the Pennsylvania State Mathematics Department archives. [2], Claytor obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1933 with the dissertation Topological Immersion of Peanian Continua in a Spherical Surface, directed by John R. Kline,[3] who had also supervised Woodard's thesis and was himself a student of R. L. Moore (of Moore method fame). P C Kenschaft, Black men and women in mathematical research, K H Parshall, Mathematics and the Politics of Race: The Case of William Claytor.

William Waldron Claytor William W. Schieffelin Claytor Born: January 4, 1908 Died :1967 Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia University of Pennsylvania Earns his Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania Education Making him the third African-American to get a Ph.D in Mathmatics. (Image courtesy The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. William Waldron Schiefflin Claytor earned his A.B. William Schieffelin Claytor (January 4, 1908 – July 14, 1967) was an American mathematician specializing in topology. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, where his father was a dentist. ), Claytor himself was educated in the public schools of the city, eventually matriculating to college studies at Howard University — today among the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities — where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1929.

At Howard, he was mentored by Dr. Dudley Woodard Sr., the second African-American in the country to… Dr. William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor.

Wilder had attracted an able and experienced group of topologists. It is impossible to know precisely what Claytor could have accomplished if he had not experienced such obstinate racism in his field. For while it is impossible to know precisely what Claytor could have accomplished if he had not experienced such obstinate racism in his field, it is no great speculation to assume that the collective body of human knowledge was robbed of something because of it. They had one daughter. The couple had one daughter, and Claytor remained at Howard University until he retired in 1965. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  The literature only has records of his two publications while at Michigan. His position was supported with fellowships and grants through the 1938-39 year and when a permanent faculty position became available in the department of mathematics, Wilder and his colleagues lobbied the administration to hire Claytor. In 1947, Dr. Claytor was offered a faculty position at Howard University. During World War II, Claytor served in the US.

He earned a B.A.

He was the third African-American to get a Ph.D. in mathematics, and the first to publish in a mathematical research journal. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, where his father was a dentist. He spent the rest of his career at Howard, and despite making many well-received presentations at AMS conferences, he continued to suffer from racial discrimination and was not even allowed to stay in the hotels where the meetings were held. Pennsylvania State Mathematics Department archives. Kline had written Wilder about Claytor's abilities and they both were pleased that Claytor was able to join the group of Michigan topologists which included S. Eilenberg, W.L. Claytor’s thesis advisor was Dudley Weldon Woodward — who, as it happens, had become the second African-American to earn a doctoral degree in mathematics, this time from the University of Pennsylvania, just two years earlier. They were never written for publication by Claytor. Dudley Woodard, the second African-American to get a PhD in mathematics, was just setting up the graduate program in math at Howard, and Claytor earned his MS there in 1929, with a thesis done under Woodard. Dr. William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor After studying at Howard University, Claytor received a recommendation, from Dr. Dudley Woodward, Sr., for the Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania. "David Blackwell, Scholar of Probability, Dies at 91". He spent the rest of his career at Howard, and despite making many well-received presentations at AMS conferences, he continued to suffer from racial discrimination and was not even allowed to stay in the hotels where the meetings were held. What if Dr. Claytor had received that appointment at the University of Michigan? Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Before entering Howard University as an undergraduate in September 1925, he was educated in the public schools of Washington, DC, and at Hampton Institute, Hampton Virginia. So proud of my cousin, I am designing a t-shirt in his honor. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, where his father was a dentist. [5] In 1937 he received a Rosenwald Fellowship at the University of Michigan;[6] he stayed there for several years, but was not allowed to attend research seminars. [4] Kline wrote to Moore saying: "Claytor wrote a very fine thesis. Visual: The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History . Partially due to Dr. Woodard’s recommendation, William Claytor was admitted to Penn’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where he pursued a Ph.D. in Mathematics under the guidance of Professor John Kline. In 1930 he entered the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1933, under the direction of J.R. Kline, he received the Ph.D. in mathematics. A little digging, of course, suggests that’s not the case, and it is in this context — and enhanced spirit — that I herewith share the story of William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor, only the third African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Claytor died in 1967 at the age of 59. Opinion: The Overlooked Covid-19 Testing Success.

( Log Out /  F: (240) 396-5647 Largely unknown to the broader American public, Claytor is yet another “Unsung” STEM hero — and he is one who typifies both the importance of peer mentoring in advancing the careers of people of color, and the tragic legacy of institutional racism that no amount of mentoring could help to overcome. Wilder had achieved some results just before leaving Michigan.