1906-1998

Mathematician

A member of the Nicolas Bourbaki circle, André Weil advanced studies of mathematics in a variety of areas, including algebraic geometry, group theory, and number theory. Considered one of the twentieth century's preeminent mathematicians, Weil in 1980 received Columbia University's Barnard Medal, whose past recipients include Albert Einstein (1879- 1955) and Niels Bohr (1885-1962).

Weil was born on May 6, 1906, in Paris, the son of Bernard, a physician, and Selma Reinherz Weil, Jewish parents who no longer observed Jewish traditions. Weil's sister Simone would later become famous as a member of the French Resistance in World War II. Weil himself proved a mathematical prodigy, reading geometry for fun at age eight and solving difficult problems by the age of nine. During World War I, Weil's father was drafted into the medical service, and the family followed him to various posts around France.

Weil entered the...