AMS Presidents: A Timeline

The American Mathematical Society was founded in 1888 after Thomas Fiske returned from Cambridge, England, inspired by its collegial and vibrant mathematical community. Ever since, AMS presidents have played a key role in leading the Society in its publications, meetings, professional visibility, and support for research. Presidents of the Society were elected annually until December 1900, when biennial terms began. The office has always been a working one, but over time the role has grown, with each president serving for some time on the Executive Committee of the AMS Council and Board of Trustees; overseeing the Executive Director; and representing the Society to the outside world.

Several of the Society's presidents were born or trained outside the U.S. The early presidents had been awarded honorary Ph.D.s. Some presidents came from humble backgrounds, others from families of privilege. Some stayed at the same institution for decades, others travelled the world to do research, give talks and represent the AMS. Most worked in academia, and a few worked in applied mathematics; some trained in the well-known mathematics departments, others at small colleges. Some were quiet leaders, others outgoing and highly visible. All have in common an international recognition well beyond the mathematics community for their mathematical achievements and effective leadership.

Each AMS president's page includes the institution and date of doctoral degree, a brief note about his/her academic career and honors, and links to more extensive biographical information and descriptions of mathematical work, academic training and positions, memberships, publications, awards and honors.

1. VAN AMRINGE, John Howard, 1888-1890
2. MCCLINTOCK, John Emory, 1891-1894
3. HILL, George William, 1895-1896
4. NEWCOMB, Simon, 1897-1898
5. WOODWARD, Robert Simpson, 1899-1900
6. MOORE, Eliakim Hastings, 1901-1902
7. FISKE, Thomas Scott, 1903-1904
8. OSGOOD, William Fogg, 1905-1906
9. WHITE, Henry Seely, 1907-1908
10. BÔCHER, Maxime, 1909-1910
11. FINE, Henry Burchard, 1911-1912
12. VAN VLECK, Edward Burr, 1913-1914
13. BROWN, Ernest William, 1915-1916
14. DICKSON, Leonard Eugene, 1917-1918
15. MORLEY, Frank, 1919-1920
16. BLISS, Gilbert Ames, 1921-1922
17. VEBLEN, Oswald, 1923-1924
18. BIRKHOFF, George David, 1925-1926
19. SNYDER, Virgil, 1927-1928
20. HEDRICK, Earle Raymond, 1929-1930
21. EISENHART, Luther Pfahler, 1931-1932
22. COBLE, Arthur Byron, 1933-1934
23. LEFSCHETZ, Solomon, 1935-1936
24. MOORE, Robert Lee, 1937-1938
25. EVANS, Griffith Conrad, 1939-1940
26. MORSE, Harold Calvin Marston, 1941-1942
27. STONE, Marshall Harvey, 1943-1944
28. HILDEBRANDT, Theophil Henry, 1945-1946
29. HILLE, Einar, 1947-1948
30. WALSH, Joseph Leonard, 1949-1950
31. VON NEUMANN, John, 1951-1952
32. WHYBURN, Gordon Thomas, 1953-1954
33. WILDER, Raymond Louis, 1955-1956
34. BRAUER, Richard Dagobert, 1957-1958
35. MCSHANE, Edward James, 1959-1960
36. MONTGOMERY, Deane, 1961-1962
37. DOOB, Joseph Leo, 1963-1964
38. ALBERT, Abraham Adrian, 1965-1966
39. MORREY, Charles Bradfield Jr., 1967-1968
40. ZARISKI, Oscar, 1969-1970
41. JACOBSON, Nathan, 1971-1972
42. MAC LANE, Saunders, 1973-1974
43. BERS, Lipman, 1975-1976
44. BING, R H, 1977-1978
45. LAX, Peter David, 1979-1980
46. GLEASON, Andrew Mattel, 1981-1982
47. ROBINSON, Julia Bowman, 1983-1984
48. KAPLANSKY, Irving, 1985-1986
49. MOSTOW, George Daniel, 1987-1988
50. BROWDER, William, 1989-1990
51. ARTIN, Michael, 1991-1992
52. GRAHAM, Ronald L., 1993-1994
53. MORAWETZ, Cathleen Synge, 1995-1996
54. JAFFE, Arthur M., 1997-1998
55. BROWDER, Felix E., 1999-2000
56. BASS, Hyman, 2001-2002
57. EISENBUD, David, 2003-2004
58. ARTHUR, James G., 2005-2006
59. GLIMM, James G., 2007-2008
60. ANDREWS, George E., 2009-2010

The AMS book series A Century of Mathematics in America , Part I, Part II and Part III, edited by Peter Duren, puts the AMS presidents in historical context. The volumes contain chapters--several written by AMS presidents--about mathematics, mathematicians, university mathematics departments, and events during the period. The following books also include information about or by AMS presidents: A Semicentennial History of the American Mathematical Society, 1888--1938, by Raymond Clare Archibald; Mathematics into the Twenty-First Century, by Editor: Felix E. Browder; A History of the Second Fifty Years, American Mathematical Society, 1939 - 1988, by Everett Pitcher; and Semicentennial Addresses of the American Mathematical Society.