Florence Eliza Allen (October 4, 1876 – December 31, 1960) was an American

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

activist. In 1907 she became the second woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

, and the fourth Ph.D. overall from that department.

Biography

Allen was born in

Horicon, Wisconsin Horicon is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,655 at the 2010 census. Geography Horicon is located at (43.4482, -88.6329). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which ...

. She had an older brother and her father was a lawyer. Florence Allen received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

in 1900. She was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

as an undergrad, and

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta part ...

as a Ph.D. She held leadership positions in a fine arts and literary society for women. She stayed at the University of Wisconsin as a resident and received her master's degree in 1901. Florence Allen continued to work at the University of Wisconsin as an assistant and became an instructor in 1902. She received her doctorate in 1907 in

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ...

, after which she remained at UW–Madison; she became an assistant professor in 1945, and retired in 1947. She died at the age of 84 in 1960 in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Florence Eliza 1876 births 1960 deaths People from Horicon, Wisconsin Scientists from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 20th-century American mathematicians American women mathematicians 20th-century women mathematicians 20th-century American women