1883-1942

James Henry Weaver was born in Hilliard, Ohio on June 10, 1883 to George Weaver, Sr. and Mary Jane (Gilbert) Weaver. He obtained a B.A. degree with honors at Otterbein College in 1908 and an M.S. at Ohio State in 1911, and was then an instructor at Ohio State from 1910 to 1912.

He then obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Ph.D. degree in 1916, writing a thesis entitled "Some Extensions of the Work of Pappus and Steiner on Tangent Circles" under the direction of Maurice Babb.

After a brief stint teaching at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Weaver returned to Ohio State as assistant professor in 1917 and was promoted to associate professor in 1923 and to professor in 1926.

Weaver was the author of 20 publications in journals such as the American Mathematical Monthly, Bulletin of the A.M.S., and the Annals of Mathematics, covering topics in classical and projective geometry. He was also coauthor with the famous group and number theorist, Robert D. Carmichael, of one of the early U.S. college calculus textbooks entitled "The Calculus".

Weaver was also very active in the American mathematical and scientific community. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mathematical Association of America, secretary of the mathematics division of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education and secretary of Sigma Xi. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Otterbein College.

Weaver married Mae Latham and had four children James, Paul, Mary, and Alga.

He died in an automobile accident, April 7, 1942, in Hilliard, Ohio.

The Board of Trustees of OSU passed the following resolution

Resolution in Memoriam:

With sorrow the Board of Trustees learns of the death, on April 7, 1942, of Professor James Henry Weaver, graduate of the University with a master's degree in 1911, Professor of Mathematics since 1926, and a member of the teaching staff continuously since 1917.

Professor Weaver ranked high in the estimate of his colleagues, both as a teacher and as a member of important University committees. He was also active as a citizen, a member of the County Board of Education of Franklin County, and generally active in working for the welfare of his fellowmen.

The Board of Trustees desires to express its deep sympathy and its sense of understanding in his loss. It is directed that this resolution be inscribed upon the minutes of the Board, and that copies be furnished to the members of Professor Weaver's family.

Columbus Dispatch Obituary -- April 8, 1942 [0]

Department of Mathematics [0]