Sir Edward Foyle Collingwood

LLD Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation#Plural forms, abbrev ...

(17 January 1900 – 25 October 1970) was an English mathematician and scientist. He was a member of the Eglingham branch of a prominent Northumbrian family, the son of Col. Cuthbert Collingwood of the Lancashire Fusiliers, whose family seat was at

Lilburn Tower Lilburn Tower is a privately owned 19th-century mansion house at Lilburn, near Wooler, Northumberland. The property is a Grade II* listed building and forms part of the Lilburn Estate. A number of discrete buildings and monuments are scattered a ...

, near Wooler, Northumberland. His great grandfather was a brother of Admiral Lord Collingwood.

Life

Collingwood was born at his family home, Lilburn Tower, near Wooler in Northumberland, the son of Col. Cuthbert George Collingwood and his wife, Dorothy Fawcett. Collingwood was educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, on the Isle of Wight and at

Dartmouth Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, ...

and was commissioned into the Royal Navy. By arrangement his first service was aboard the dreadnought battleship HMS ''Collingwood'' but his naval career was cut short during World War I when in 1916 he was invalided out of the Navy following an accidental injury. In 1918 he enrolled to study mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. His early academic results were not special and in 1922 he moved to

Aberystwyth University , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

where he became interested in

complex analysis Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates Function (mathematics), functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathemati ...

and published a paper relating to Nevanlinna's theory. He was awarded the Rayleigh Prize in 1923 and following the award of the

Rouse Ball Walter William Rouse Ball (14 August 1850 – 4 April 1925), known as W. W. Rouse Ball, was a British mathematician, lawyer, and fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1878 to 1905. He was also a keen amateur magician, and the founding ...

travelling scholarship in 1925 he spent a year at the University of Paris. Collingwood returned to Cambridge and was in 1929 awarded a doctorate for a thesis entitled ''Contributions to the theory of integral functions''. Collingwood left Cambridge in 1937 when he was appointed High Sheriff of Northumberland for that year. He was later appointed Deputy Lieutenant of his home county. During World War II he served in the RNVR with the rank of Captain and was employed as a naval scientist. In 1945 he was appointed Chief Scientist in the Mine Design department of the Admiralty. For his service he was awarded the CBE. Collingwood returned to mathematics after the war and continued his interest in meromorphic function and in 1949 published his research on the theory of cluster sets.

Awards and honours

Collingwood was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

in 1954 and of the Royal Society of London in 1965. He held several professional and civic appointments including President of the

London Mathematical Society The London Mathematical Society (LMS) is one of the United Kingdom's learned societies for mathematics (the others being the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the Edinburgh Mathematical S ...

1969–70, Chairman of the Council of

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

from 1953, Chairman of the Newcastle Hospital Board 1953–1968, Vice President of the International Hospital Federation 1959-1967 and Treasurer of the Medical Research Council. He was knighted in 1962.

Family

Collingwood never married.. . 57 "The fact that he held no paid post for most of his life, and that he was unmarried, enabled him to know a large number of people from many different circles which do not usually intersect."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collingwood, Edward 1900 births 1970 deaths 20th-century English mathematicians English scientists Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge University of Paris alumni Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II People educated at West Downs School High Sheriffs of Northumberland Deputy Lieutenants of Northumberland People from Wooler Scientists from Northumberland British expatriates in France