Homepage

Record

Authorised form of nameBoole; George (1815 - 1864); mathematician
Dates1815 - 1864
NationalityBritish
Place of birthLincoln, England
Date of birth02 November 1815
Place of deathCork, Ireland
Date of death08 December 1864
Dates and placesBurial:
St Michael's Church of Ireland, Blackrock, County Cork
Research fieldMathematics
ActivityEducation:
Self-taught, did not attend secondary school or have a university degree
Career:
First Professor of Mathematics, Queen's College, Cork (1849); Public Examiner for Degrees in the Queen's University; Honorary LL.D. from University of Dublin (1851); elected President of the Cuvierian Society (1855); awarded Keith Medal of Royal Society of Edinburgh (1857); honorary DCL from Oxford University (1859)
Memberships:
FCPS (1858)
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election11/06/1857
Royal Society activityMedals and prizes:
Royal Medal 1844
RelationshipsGrandfather of Sir Geoffrey Ingram Taylor (FRS 1919); wife Mary, daughter of Rev. T. R. Everest, Rector of Wickwar, Gloucestershire, niece of Colonel Sir Gerge Everest FRS (1790-1866); great grandfather of Howard Hinton, FRS.
Published works'An Investigation into the Laws of Thought, on which are founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities' 1854
SourcesSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Irish Innovators
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1866-1867 vol 15 pp vi-xi
References:
W Kneale, 'Boole and the Algebra of Logic' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 53-63
Sir Geoffrey Taylor, 'George Boole, FRS, 1815-1864' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 44-52, plate
C S S, 'The Society's Library' in NR 1938 vol 1 pp 21-27

Papers in University College Cork - catalogue avaiable at http://booleweb.ucc.ie/documents/George_Boole_Descriptive_List.pdf
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/49282014
Royal Society codeNA6589
Archives associated with this Fellow
Reference numberTitleDate
EC/1857/02Boole, George: certificate of election to the Royal Society
NLB/13/353Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to H John Falk, The Athenaeum, Liverpool29 July 1896
IM/000441Boole, Georgend
MM/17/82Letter from Alice Boole to Herbert Rix, Assistant Secretary, Royal Society5 June 1889
MM/16/34'Note on Prof Boole's papers'30 November 1867
NLB/13/614Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to H John Falks, Thorshill, West Kirby, Liverpool17 October 1896
MC/4/3Letter from Geo [George] Boole, Lincoln, to the Royal Society10 January 1844
RR/3/22Referee's report by Henry Moseley, on a paper 'On the comparison of transcendents with certain applications to the theory of definite integrals' by Professor George Boole11 July 1857
RR/4/227Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On the calculus of symbols, with applications to the theory of differential equations' by William Henry Leighton Russell1861
RR/4/81Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On scalar and clinant algebraical coordinate geometry, introducing a new and more general theory of analytical geometry, including the received as a particular case, and explaining ‘imaginary points,’ ‘intersections,’ and ‘lines.’' by Alexander John Ellis15 May 1861
RR/4/16Referee's report by Arthur Cayley, on a paper 'On the theory of probabilities' by George Boole25 June 1862
IM/000440Boole, Georgend
MS/782Mathematical papers of George Boole 1844-1855
NLB/13/735Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to H J Falk, The Athenaeum, Liverpool12 November 1896
NLB/13/434Copy letter from Theodore E James, to Professor Michael Foster7 September 1896
RR/5/227Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On the calculus of symbols.— Fourth memoir. With applications to the theory of non-linear differential equations' by William Henry Leighton Russellnd [1864]
PT/70/16Paper, 'On the differential equations which determine the form of the roots of algebraic equations' by George Boole20 April 1864
PT/28/3Paper, ['On a general method in analysis'] by George Boole[1844]
PT/65/3Paper, 'On simultaneous differential equations of the first-order in which the number of the variables exceeds by more than one the number of equations' by George Boole[1862]
RR/3/21Referee's report by Arthur Cayley, on a paper 'On the comparison of transcendents with certain applications to the theory of definite integrals' by George Boole2 June 1857
RR/4/48Referee's report by George Boole, on two papers 'On an extension of Arbogast’s method of derivations' and 'On the equation for the product of the differences of all but one of the roots of a given equation' by Arthur Cayley25 March 1861
PT/69/8Paper, 'On the differential equations of dynamics. A sequel to a paper on simultaneous differential equations' by George Boole[1862]
RR/4/221Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On the calculus of symbols - second memoir' by William Henry Leighton Russell13 May 1862
PT/64/10Paper, 'On the theory of probabilities' by George Boole[1862]
PT/69/7Letter, 'Supplement to a paper on the differential equations of dynamics' by George Boole7 February 1863
RR/5/24Referee's report by Arthur Cayley, on a paper 'On the differential equations which determine the form of the roots of algebraic equations' by George Boole29 June 1864
RR/5/25Referee's report by Henry John Stephen Smith, on a paper 'On the differential equations which determine the form of the roots of algebraic equations' by George Boole12 September 1864
MC/4Volume 4 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1844-1850
MC/6Volume 6 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1859-1863
MC/6/313Letter from George Boole, Ballintemple near Cork, to Major General [Edward] Sabine, [President of the Royal Society]28 March 1863
MC/7/155Letter from Robert Harley, The Manse, Brighouse, Normanton, to W [Walter] White, [Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society]22 December 1864
MC/7Volume 7 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1864-1866
RR/5/22Referee's report by Arthur Cayley, on a paper 'On the differential equations of dynamics. A sequel to a paper on simultaneous differential equations' by George Boole19 March 1863
MC/9/501Letter from M [Mary] Boole, 54 York Terrace, Regent's Park, to the Royal Society25 February 1873
MC/9Volume 9 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1870-June 1873
RR/4/15Referee's report by Arthur Cayley, on a paper 'On simultaneous differential equations of the first order in which the number of the variables exceeds by more than one the number of the equations' by George Boole25 June 1862
RR/4/17Referee's report by William Fishburn Donkin, on a paper 'On the theory of probabilities' by George Boole23 June 1862
RR/4/74Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On the laws of operation, and the systematization of mathematics' by Alexander John Ellis8 November 1859
AP/43/2Unpublished paper, 'On the gyroscope' by Arthur Hill Curtis10 August 1860
AP/43/2/1Unpublished manuscript, 'On the gyroscope' by Arthur Hill Curtis10 August 1860
RR/5/66Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On clinant geometry, as a means of expressing the general relations of points in a plane, realizing imaginaries reconciling ordinary algebra with plane geometry, and extending the theories of anharmonic ratios' by Alexander John Ellis[1863]
MC/15/46Letter from Miss Alice Boole, 23 Island Road, Garston, Lancashire, to [Herbert] Rix12 June 1889
RR/3/55Referee's report by George Boole, on three papers 'A memoir on the theory of matrices'; 'A memoir on the automorphic linar transformation of a bipartite quadric function'; 'On certain formulae for differentiation' by Arthur Cayley29 March 1858
PT/59/7Paper, 'On the comparison of transcendents with certain applications to the theory of definite integrals' by George Boole[1857]
RR/3/217Letter from George Boole, on a paper 'On some remarkable relations which obtain among the roots of the four squares into which a number may be divided, as compared with the corresponding roots of certain other numbers' by Frederick Pollock4 October 1858
RR/3/218Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On some remarkable relations which obtain among the roots of the four squares into which a number may be divided, as compared with the corresponding roots of certain other numbers' by Frederick Pollock4 October 1858
RR/4/14Referee's report by William Fishburn Donkin, on a paper 'On simultaneous differential equations of the first order in which the number of the variables exceeds by more than one the number of the equations' by George Boole28 June 1862
RR/4/198Referee's report by George Boole, on a paper 'On some remarkable relations which obtain among the roots of the four squares into which a number may be divided, as compared with the corresponding roots of certain other numbers' by Frederick Pollock17 January 1859
RR/5/23Referee's report by Henry John Stephen Smith, on a paper 'On the differential equations of dynamics. A sequel to a paper on simultaneous differential equations' by George Boole20 May 1863
MC/15Volume 15 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1889-1892
S/0078Sculpture of Boole, George2022-2023
Add to My Items
    Early Letters

    Early Letters

    Useful Links

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    The mammals of Australia
    The mammals of Australia
    Papers of Robert Boyle
    Papers of Robert Boyle
    Early Letters
    Early Letters
    Classified Papers
    Classified Papers
    Browse Collections

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView