Robert Lee Moore Biography

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World of Mathematics on Robert Lee Moore

Author of the influential 1932 book The Foundations of Point Set Topology, Robert Lee Moore was a pioneer in that area of mathematics. He was a lifelong mathematics teacher and professor, as well as a fixture in the American Mathematical Society (AMS).

Moore was born in Dallas, Texas on November 14, 1882. He began his college career at the University of Texas in 1898 and received a bachelor of sciences in 1901, after which he was appointed a fellow at the school. During the 1902-1903 school year, Moore taught high school mathematics in the town of Marshall, Texas, but later in 1903 he returned his attention to his academic career and entered the University of Chicago. He emerged with a PhD in 1905, having written his thesis on sets of metrical hypotheses for geometry.

From 1905 to 1906, Moore worked at the University of Tennessee as an assistant professor in the Mathematics Department, then moving to New Jersey's Princeton University to serve as an instructor. He remained at Princeton until 1908, when he accepted a position as instructor at Northwestern University. In 1911 the restless Moore relocated once again, this time to the University of Pennsylvania. He began there as an instructor, but in 1916 was promoted to assistant professor of mathematics. He stayed at that university until 1920. In the meantime, Moore published a paper entitled "On a set of postulates which suffice to define a number-plane." Published in Transactions of the American Mathematical Society in 1915, Moore's work received positive attention among academic mathematicians.

Finally, in 1920 Moore came home again to Texas and his alma mater, taking up the position of assistant professor at the Austin campus. He received a promotion to full professor in 1923, working in that capacity until 1927. Beginning in 1929, however, Moore exchanged his professorship for the posts of Colloquium lecturer and editor of Colloquium Publications , which recorded the proceedings, findings, and communications of the AMS.

Moore spent only one year as Colloquium lecturer, then becoming visiting lecturer for the group from 1931 to 1932. In 1932 he published his Foundations, which was based on that year of lecturing. His main work with the AMS was as editor of Colloquium Publications from 1929 to 1936 and as its editor in chief from 1930 to 1933. Moore was also president of the AMS from 1936 to 1938.

Returning to the University of Texas in 1937 as distinguished professor of pure mathematics, Moore would spend an extended period (until 1953) in that post. The school appointed him professor of astronomy and professor of mathematics in 1953. He taught astronomy until 1959 and mathematics until 1970, when the school gave Moore emeritus status despite his protests; he had a strong desire to continue active teaching despite his advanced age.

Moore kept hours in his university office until shortly before his death in Austin, Texas on October 4, 1974.