Francis Joseph Murray Explained

Francis Joseph Murray
Birth Date:	February 3, 1911
Birth Place:	New York City
Death Place:	Durham, North Carolina
Nationality:	American
Fields:	Mathematics
Workplaces:	Columbia University Duke University
Alma Mater:	Columbia University
Doctoral Advisor:	Bernard Koopman
Doctoral Students:	Robert Schatten Ernst G. Straus

Francis Joseph Murray (February 3, 1911 – March 15, 1996) was a mathematician, known for his foundational work (with John von Neumann) on functional analysis, and what subsequently became known as von Neumann algebras. He received his BA from Columbia College in 1932 and PhD from Columbia University in 1936.^{[1] [2]} He taught at Duke University.

In 1967 he was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by the U. S. Army.

Selected publications

• 1936 (with J. von Neumann), "On rings of operators," Ann. of Math. 2(37): 116–229. The original paper on von Neumann algebras.
• 1937 (with J. von Neumann), "On rings of operators II," Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 41: 208–248.
• 1943 (with J. von Neumann), "On rings of operators IV," Ann. of Math. 2(44): 716–808.
• 1941. An Introduction to Linear Transformations in Hilbert Space. Annals of Mathematics Studies, no. 4. Princeton Univ. Press.^[3]
• 1947. The theory of mathematical machines. Columbia Univ. Press.^[4]
• 1954. (with Kenneth S. Miller). Existence Theorems for Ordinary Differential Equations.^[5] ; 2nd printing Krieger 1976; reprint Dover 2013.
• 1978. Applied Mathematics: An Intellectual Orientation. ^[6]

References

• A brief obituary.
  • Retirement of Francis Joseph Murray. Duke Math. J. 47 (1980), no. 4, 983–985.

Notes and References

1. Book: Columbia College (Columbia University). Office of Alumni Affairs and Development . Columbia College today . Columbia College (Columbia University) . 1956 . New York, N.Y. : Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development . Columbia University Libraries.
2. Book: Columbia College (Columbia University). Office of Alumni Affairs and Development . Columbia College today . Columbia College (Columbia University) . 1962–63 . New York, N.Y. : Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development . Columbia University Libraries.
3. Halmos, P. R.. Paul Halmos. Review: An introduction to linear transformations in Hilbert space, by F. J. Murray. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.. 1942. 48. 3. 204–205. 10.1090/s0002-9904-1942-07644-0. free.
4. Goldstine, H. H.. Herman Goldstine. Review: The theory of mathematical machines, by F. J. Murray. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.. 1947. 53. 9. 893–895. 10.1090/s0002-9904-1947-08889-3. free.
5. Reid, W. T.. Review: Existence theorems for ordinary differential equations, by F. J. Murray and K. S. Miller. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.. 1955. 61. 4. 353–355. 10.1090/s0002-9904-1955-09942-7. free.
6. Hafner, Everett. Review: Applied mathematics: An intellectual orientation, by F. J. Murray. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. (N.S.). 1980. 3. 1, Part 1. 735–739. 10.1090/s0273-0979-1980-14808-9. free.