preview

Elbert Frank Cox's Major Accomplishments

Decent Essays

Born December 5, 1895, Elbert Frank Cox earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Indiana. In 1925, he became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. He taught for 40 years at West Virginia State College and Howard University. After he retired, Howard established a scholarship fund in Cox's name to encourage future Black mathematicians. Elbert Frank Cox was born on December 5, 1895 in Evansville, Indiana. After graduating from Indiana University in 1917, Cox served in World War I and then pursued a career in teaching. In 1925, he earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University, becoming the first African American to earn the degree in the United States and, in fact, the world. After earning his degree, …show more content…

In 1925 -- the year he graduated from Cornell -- only 28 doctoral degrees were awarded in mathematics in the entire nation, and up until that year, fewer than 50 African Americans had received doctorates of any …show more content…

"Year after year, our master's students consistently did much better in departmental oral examinations on material they'd studied with Cox than on material they'd studied with me or from our colleagues Woodward, Claytor, and others," Blackwell was quoted as saying in the American Mathematical Monthly article. At Cox's retirement, Howard University's president noted that the mathematician had supervised more masters' theses than any other member of the faculty. He remained a full professor in the department until his retirement in 1966. During his career, Cox specialized in difference equations, interpolation theory, and differential equations. Among his professional honors were memberships in such educational societies as Beta Kappa Chi, Pi Mu Epsilon, and Sigma Pi Sigma. He was also active in the American Mathematical Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Physics Institute. Cox died on November 28, 1969, after a brief

Get Access