Webster Wells (1851–1916) was an American mathematician known primarily for his authorship of mathematical textbooks.

Early life and career

Webster Wells was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts on September 4, 1851. His parents, Thomas Foster Wells (1822–1903) and Sarah Morrill Wells (1828–1897), initially named him Thomas Wells, but presumably after the death of the statesman

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...

in 1852, renamed him Daniel Webster Wells, and from at least 1860, he was known as Webster Wells.

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and ...

, the Boston brewer and patriot, was a great-great-grandfather, and the poets Thomas Wells (1790–1861) and Anna Maria (Foster) Wells (1795–1868) were grandparents. The architect

Joseph Morrill Wells Joseph Morrill Wells (1853–1890) was an American architect, known for his contributions to the work of the notable architecture firm of McKim, Mead & White. Wells is said to have admired the architects of the Italian Renaissance, especially Don ...

was his brother. Beginning in 1863, Webster Wells studied at the

West Newton English and Classical School West Newton English and Classical School, also known as the Allen School, was a model school in West Newton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1854 by Nathaniel Topliff Allen (1823–1903), an educator and protege of Horace Mann ...

(aka The Allen School), West Newton, Massachusetts, and then attended the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

from which he graduated in 1873 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Wells taught mathematics at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...

, where he was successively instructor (1873–1880), assistant professor (1883), associate professor (1885), and full professor (1893–1911).

Personal life

Webster Wells married Emily Walker Langdon at Boston on June 21, 1876. Wells died at Arlington, Massachusetts, on May 23, 1916, from the complications of

Huntington's Chorea Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unst ...

. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery,

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

Textbooks

Wells' textbooks were used in many schools and colleges in the United States. Among the many titles were: * Webster Wells. ''Elementary Treatise on Logarithms'' (Boston, MA: Robert S. Davies Co., 1878). * Webster Wells. ''University Algebra'' (Boston MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1880), one of "Greenleaf's Mathematical Series." * Webster Wells. ''Practical Textbook on Plane and Spherical Trigonometry'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1883). * Webster Wells. ''A Complete Course in Algebra for Academies and High Schools'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1885). * Webster Wells. ''The Elements of Geometry'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1886). * Webster Wells. ''Plane and Solid Geometry'' (1887). * Webster Wells. ''The Essentials of Plane and Spherical Trigonometry'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1887). * Webster Wells. ''Plane Trigonometry'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1887). * Webster Wells. ''Four-place Logarithmic Tables'' (1888). * Webster Wells. ''A Short Course in Higher Algebra'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1889), one of "Wells' Mathematical Series." * Webster Wells. ''College Algebra'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1890). * Webster Wells. ''An Academic Arithmetic for Academies, High and Commercial Schools'' (1893, 1899). * Webster Wells. ''Plane Trigonometry'' (Boston, MA: Leach, Shewell & Sanborn, 1893), one of "Wells' Mathematical Series." * Webster Wells. ''Revised Plane and Solid Geometry'' (1894). * Webster Wells. ''New Plane and Spherical Trigonometry'' (1896). * Webster Wells. ''Essentials of Algebra for Secondary Schools'' (Norwood MA: Norwood Press, 1897). * Webster Wells. ''New Higher Algebra'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1897, 1899). * Webster Wells. ''The Essentials of Geometry (Solid)'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1899). * Webster Wells. ''Complete Trigonometry'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1901, copyright 1900). * Webster Wells. Factoring (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1902), one of “Heath’s Mathematical Monographs.” * Claribel Gerrish and Webster Wells. ''The Beginner's Algebra'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1902). * Webster Wells. ''Advanced Course in Algebra'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1904). * Webster Wells. ''Algebra for Secondary Schools'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1906, 1909). * Webster Wells. ''New Plane Geometry'' (1908). * Webster Wells. ''New Plane and Solid Geometry'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1909). * Webster Wells and Walter W. Hart. ''First Year Algebra'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co. 1912). * Webster Wells. ''New High School Algebra'' (1912). * Webster Wells. ''Second Course in Algebra'' (1913). * Webster Wells and Walter W. Hart. ''Plane Geometry'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., 1915), one of "Wells and Hart's Mathematics Series." * Webster Wells. ''Plane and Solid Geometry'' (1916).

Posthumous editions

* Webster Wells. ''Modern Algebra: Second Course'' (1920). * Webster Wells. ''Modern First Year Algebra'' (1923). * Webster Wells. ''Modern Algebra: Second Course'' (1925). * Webster Wells and Walter W. Hart. ''Modern First Year Algebra, Revised'' (Boston, MA: D.C. Heath & Co., copyright 1928).

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Webster 1851 births 1916 deaths Mathematics educators Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Writers from Massachusetts People from Boston Neurological disease deaths in Massachusetts Deaths from Huntington's disease People with Huntington's disease