George Anthony Hill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Anthony Hill
A photograph of Hill by William Notman, circa 1868–1870
Born(1842-08-25)August 25, 1842
DiedAugust 17, 1916(1916-08-17) (aged 73)
Resting placeSherborn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)College professor, private tutor, textbook writer
Known forTextbooks on physics and mathematics

George Anthony Hill (August 25, 1842 – August 17, 1916) was an American assistant professor at Harvard and author of textbooks, primarily about physics and mathematics.

Biography[edit]

Hill was born in 1842 in Sherborn, Massachusetts.[1] He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1865, and a master's degree there in 1870.[2][3] His education included time spent at the University of Glasgow studying under Lord Kelvin.[4]

Hill was appointed an assistant professor of physics at Harvard, effective September 1, 1871,[5] a role he held until 1876.[1] He then spent two years studying in Germany.[4][6] Upon his return, he focused on writing textbooks while also acting as a private tutor at Harvard.[4] In 1898, he became director of a tutoring school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he worked for 16 years until his retirement in 1914.[1][4]

Hill wrote various textbooks, primarily on physics and mathematics.[4] At the time of his death, The Boston Post noted that some of Hill's textbooks were "standard works, particularly his first book, Geometry for Beginners, written in 1880."[4] Hill co-wrote some textbooks with George A. Wentworth (1835–1906), a teacher of mathematics at Phillips Exeter Academy.[7][1]

Hill died in August 1916 in a hospital in Cambridge.[1] He was survived by a sister, Lizzie J. Daniels, and by his former wife, Annie M. Hill, who had divorced him in 1898.[8][9] There is no indication that the Hills had children. His estate was valued at $28,000 ($784,000 in 2023).[8] Hill was buried in his hometown of Sherborn.[10]

Works[edit]

Hill's textbooks include:[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "George Anthony Hill Dead". The Boston Globe. August 18, 1916. p. 6. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "George Anthony Hill (1842-1916)". harvardartmuseums.org. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Harvard University: Master of Arts (out of course)". Boston Evening Transcript. June 28, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Funeral of Prof. Hill on Sunday". The Boston Post. August 19, 1916. p. 10. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Harvard College". Boston Evening Transcript. August 10, 1871. p. 3. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "George Anthony Hill". The New York Times. August 19, 1916. p. 9. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via TimesMachine.
  7. ^ Chow, Yi Jean (2015). "Sifted Science: James Joyce's Reference to George Albert Wentworth and George Anthony Hill's 'A Text-Book of Physics'". James Joyce Quarterly. 52 (3/4). University of Tulsa: 637–654 – via jstor.org.
  8. ^ a b "Will of G. A. Hill Filed". The Boston Globe. August 25, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Divorced Beach Bluff Wire Receives $100". The Daily Item. Lynn, Massachusetts. August 25, 1916. p. 9. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Professor Hill Buried in Sherborn". The Boston Post. August 21, 1916. p. 11. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.

External links[edit]