36. Deane Montgomery

President 1961–1962

Ph.D. University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1933

Montgomery's principal appointments were at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts (1935-1946) and at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey (1947 until his retirement in 1980). He served as president of the International Mathematical Union from 1974-1978. His research interests encompassed algebraic and geometric topology and transformation groups, and he was at the center of activity in topology at the Institute.

Montgomery was known for his efforts in helping young topologists, and for his interest in the careers of those from graduate programs at smaller institutions. He was awarded the AMS Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 1988 for his lasting impact on mathematics, particularly mathematics in America. Montgomery was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Additional information

• MR Author Profile
• History of the Second Fifty Years: American Mathematical Society, 1939-1988, by Everett Pitcher (AMS, 1988), which includes AMS Presidents from 1939-1988 (and reports on all aspects of the Society during the period).
• The MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
• Mathematics Genealogy Project
• "A Tribute to Deane Montgomery," by Ronald Fintushel in 1992, published in Notices of the AMS, March 2005, page 348.
• Photographs in "Who's That Mathematician?" Images from the Paul R. Halmos Photograph Collection