Howard Whitley Eves (10 January 1911 New Jersey – 6 June 2004) was an American mathematician, known for his work in geometry and the history of mathematics.

Eves received his B.S. from the University of Virginia, the M.A. from Harvard University, and the Ph.D. in mathematics from Oregon State University in 1948. In 1936–1937, while at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, he befriended Albert Einstein. He then spent most of his career at the University of Maine at Orono, 1954–1976. In later life, he occasionally taught at University of Central Florida.

Eves was a strong spokesman for the Mathematical Association of America, which he joined in 1942, and whose Northeast Section he founded. For 25 years he edited the Elementary Problems section of the American Mathematical Monthly. He solved over 300 problems proposed in various mathematical journals. His six volume Mathematical Circles series, collecting humorous and interesting anecdotes about mathematicians, was recently reprinted by the MAA, who also published his two volume Great Moments in the History of Mathematics, and his autobiographical Mathematical Reminiscences in 2001.

Eves had 6 children.

Books by Eves

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• 1972. Survey of Geometry in 2 vols, 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• 1990. Introduction to the History of Mathematics, 6th. ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College.
• 1997. Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics. Dover.

Quotation

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Upon learning that that the University of Maine was to award him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters instead of the usual Doctor of Science, Eves, ever the modest man, is supposed to have said: "They must have seen me patting a dog."

Reference

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• Dodge, Clayton, and Eves-Thomas, Cindy, 2004, "Tribute to Howard Eves."

1911 births | 2004 deaths | 20th century mathematicians | American mathematicians | Geometers | Harvard University alumni