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James Stewart (mathematician)

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James Stewart
Born(1941-03-29)March 29, 1941
Canada
DiedDecember 3, 2014(2014-12-03) (aged 73)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materStanford University
University of Toronto
Known forWork in harmonic analysis
functional analysis
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics
InstitutionsMcMaster University
University of Toronto
University of London
Doctoral advisorLionel Cooper

James Drewry Stewart (March 29, 1941 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian mathematician, violinist, and the professor emeritus of mathematics at McMaster University. Stewart received his master of science at Stanford University and his doctor of philosophy from the University of Toronto in 1967. He worked for two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of London. Stewart's research focused on harmonic analysis and functional analysis.

Stewart is best-known for his series of calculus textbooks used for high school, college, and university level courses. His books are standard textbooks in universities in many countries. One of his most popular textbooks is Single Variable Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals. In 2014, his book sales were over $26 million.[1]

Stewart was also a violinist, a former member of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.[2]

In the early 2000s a house designed by Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe was constructed for Dr. Stewart in the Rosedale neighbourhood of Toronto at a cost of $32 million. He paid an additional $5.4 million for the existing house and lot which was torn down to make room for his new home.[3] Called Integral House (a reference to its curved walls, and their similarity to the mathematical integral symbol), the house includes a concert hall that seats 150. Dr. Stewart has said, "My books and my house are my twin legacies. If I hadn't commissioned the house I'm not sure what I would have spent the money on." Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, called the house "one of the most important private houses built in North America in a long time."[4]

In the summer of 2013, Stewart was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.[5] He died on December 3, 2014, aged 73.[6]

Stewart was deeply involved in LGBT activism. According to Joseph Clement, a documentary filmmaker who is working on a film about Stewart and Integral House, Stewart brought gay rights activist George Hislop to speak at McMaster in the early 1970s, when the LGBT liberation movement was in its infancy, and was involved in protests and demonstrations.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ouellette, Jennifer (5 October 2015). "The House That Calculus Built Can Be Yours for Just $17.2 Million". Gizmodo. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "The many parts of James Stewart", Daily Xtra, 2014-12-10.
  3. ^ "The House that Math Built". TheStar.com. 2011-02-04
  4. ^ "An 'Accordion' of Wood and Glass", Wall Street Journal, 2009-04-03; retrieved 2009-04-08.
  5. ^ "For millionaire mathematician James Stewart, music will play on after his death", The Globe and Mail, 2014-09-21.
  6. ^ Press Release, fields.utoronto.ca, 2014-12-04.

Further reading

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