A Guide to the John Von Neumann Collection, 1913-1992
Descriptive Summary |
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| Creator | Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957 | |
| Title | John Von Neumann Collection | |
| Dates: | 1913-1925, 1942-1956, 1989-1992 | |
| Abstract | The John von Neumann Collection consists of photographs and photographic reproductions, creative works (article, book and speech), genealogy materials, and audio material (cassette tape). | |
| Accession No. | 2003-096 | |
| Extent | 5 inches | |
| Language | English. | |
| Repository | Archives of American Mathematics, Center for American History,The University of Texas at Austin | |
Biographical Note
John (Johann) Louis von Neumann (1903-1957) was born in Budapest and showed early signs of being a child prodigy. He entered the University of Budapest in 1921, but also attended the University of Berlin and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology before obtaining a degree in chemical engineering in 1925. He earned his Doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Budapest in 1927. After graduation, he worked at the University of Berlin before becoming a visiting professor to Princeton from 1930-1953. Concurrent with his time at Princeton was the development of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), of which he was an active participant working with the creation of an IAS computer. He became a U.S. citizen in the 1930s. His interests and fields of study included early computers and computing, hydrodynamics, ballistics, meteorology, statistics, quantum theory, and game theory (which he founded). His knowledge and expertise in these areas allowed him to assist the U. S. government during WWII, including working with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (the Manhattan Project), and he continued with this work even after the war. During the 1950s, Von Neumann was employed as a consultant with IBM: his only patent was filed for them in 1954.
Scope and Contents
The John von Neumann Collection consists of photographs and photographic reproductions, creative works (article, book and speech), genealogy materials, and audio material (cassette tape). These materials were donated to the Center for American History by von Neumann's brother and consist of mostly family or genealogy materials, dedications, and ceremonial addresses. In addition, four IAS reprints from the 1940s were transferred to this collection from the Robert E. Greenwood Papers.
Forms part of the Archives of American Mathematics
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Portions of this collection are stored remotely. Please contact reference staff for retrieval from off-site storage.
Index Terms |
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| Subjects | ||
| Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957 | ||
| Vonneuman, Nicholas A., 1911- | ||
| International Business Machines Corporation | ||
| Genealogy | ||
Related Material
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A related collection of John Von Neumann materials can be found at the following Library of Congress Website: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?faid/faid:@field(DOCID+ms996003) |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
John Von Neumann Collection, 1913-1992, Archives of American Mathematics, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Processing note:
John von Neumann's borther, Nicholas A. Vonneuman, developed the checklist to this collection.
Detailed Description of the Collection