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Richard Courant Papers

Call Number

MC.150

Dates

1902-1976, inclusive
; 1944-1971, bulk

Creator

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant, Richard, 1888-1972

Extent

33.5 Linear Feet
in 97 boxes

Language of Materials

This collection contains material written primarily in English and German. There is also material in French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and other languages.

Abstract

Richard Courant developed New York University's graduate program in mathematics and established the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, later named for him. The collection spans the entire length of Courant's career as a mathematician from his student days in Germany to his work at NYU. It includes administrative and personal correspondence, published works as well as lecture material.

Biographical Note

Richard Courant, pioneer in applied mathematics and intellectual architect of NYU's Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences, was born into a Jewish family in Lublinitz, Germany (now Poland) in 1888. He was academically-minded from an early age. Courant studied physics and mathematics at the University of Breslau and the University of Zürich before ultimately finding his niche at the University of Göttingen. There he quickly became part of a group of renowned mathematicians, physicists and philosophers.

At Göttingen, Courant became the protégé of mathematician David Hilbert, completing his dissertation on the Dirihlet Principle there in 1910. Courant spent two years lecturing at Göttingen after completing compulsory military service. He married Nelly Neumann, a student he knew from his time at Breslau, in 1912. They divorced during Courant's time in combat during World War I.

On the outbreak of the war, Courant, immediately enlisted in the army. In 1915, while serving on the front lines, he was severely wounded near Douai, France. While in the trenches Courant realized the need for more reliable military communication, and conceived of a telegraph system that would use the earth as its wire. He spent the rest of the war developing and implementing such a system with a team of scientists at Göttingen. At that time he also met Nerina (Nina) Runge, the daughter of the famous Göttingen math professor Carl Runge. They wed in 1919 and remained married until Courant's death in 1972. They had four children.

After World War I, Courant taught briefly at the University of Münster before returning to Göttingen as a full professor, where he worked to strengthen the mathematics department. He continued his work in partial differential equations and mathematical physics, publishing widely. Perceiving a need for advanced texts in various mathematical topics, Courant began editing a series of monographs in partnership with publisher Ferdinand Springer. Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften is still published to this day.

With the help of the Rockefeller Foundation, in 1929 Courant organized the construction of a new building to house the university's mathematics institute. This helped further the institute's long-standing goal of promoting collaboration between Göttingen's math and scientific communities. This international partnership was an early indication of Courant's talent for leadership in an academic setting. The Nazis' rise to power meant disaster for the math and science communities in German universities. Under the "Civil Service Law," Jewish and politically suspect professors were summarily dismissed from their positions. As a consequence, Courant was placed on "extended leave" from Göttingen in 1933. He tried many times to fight his dismissal, but realized it was futile. He quickly obtained a one-year position at the University of Cambridge.

Courant's colleagues Niels and Harald Bohr and Abraham Flexner helped him secure a two-year teaching position at NYU in 1934. At that time the university's math program was small and underdeveloped. "New York," Courant said in a 1967 speech accepting NYU's Gallatin Medal for outstanding achievement, "seemed starved for mathematical activity." Moreover, the Great Depression meant the university's resources were drastically limited. Becoming head of the Graduate School's Department of Mathematics in 1936, Courant slowly grew the program. He sought financial help from external sources such as the Carnegie and Rockefeller Foundations. Over the next decade he brought in K.O. Friedrichs and Fritz John, who had studied and taught with him in Germany. He complemented their talent with the American mathematician J.J. Stoker. Courant, Stoker and Friedrichs quickly formed the core of the department and strove towards broadening its focus by bridging the gap between theoretical and applied mathematics. He became an American citizen in 1940.

The influence of Courant's cohort of mathematicians at NYU was still relatively small when the United States entered World War II. Courant secured government funding for various military projects to help the war effort. This work increased NYU's prominence in applied mathematics and for the first time brought the government's attention to the group of talented mathematicians Courant had gathered. Funded mainly by the Navy and the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), the department researched wave propagations, detonations and other military-related phenomena. Through this work Courant was invited to become a member of the OSRD's Applied Mathematics Panel, headed by Warren Weaver. The panel provided mathematical support to scientists involved in military work. Courant worked closely with Warren Weaver, who headed the Mathematics Panel of the ORSD, to secure even more war project funding and expand the faculty.

Military funding continued to flow in the immediate postwar years. In 1951, NYU's Board of Trustees approved Courant's proposal for a mathematics institute to be supported by outside funders. Initially called the Institute for Mathematics and Mechanics, its name was changed to the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS) to reflect the broad nature of its work. The Institute was devoted to all areas of mathematics, recognizing no boundary between applied and theoretical work. Courant served as its first director. Soon after, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission established a computing center at the university. The center was built around a UNIVAC I computer, the first commercially available computer in the United States.

Courant retired from teaching in 1958, receiving an honorary degree at NYU's commencement that year, but continued his consulting work. The IMS was renamed the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (CIMS) three years later. Soon after, the Sloan Foundation, Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation provided funding for a new home for the institute.

Warren Weaver Hall was completed in 1965. Courant stayed on as a consultant for the Institute until his death in 1972.

Courant's principal works include Methods of Mathematical Physics, Vol. I and II (with David Hilbert), Differential and Integral Calculus, Vol. I and II and What is Mathematics? (with H.E. Robbins).

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series. The first two are based on the location of the material prior to arriving at the University Archives. Series I contains material from the home of Courant's son Ernst, while Series II is from Courant's office. The original folder titles were mostly maintained.

Series I arrived at the University Archives with some semblance of an order. Correspondence was distinctly labeled as such and generally kept alphabetical. The present organization of this series was devised to reflect the original order of the material and the alphabetical nature of Series II.

Folders labeled correspondence were organized into their own series. The rest of the material was organized into subject files and arranged alphabetically. In many cases subject files already had folder titles.

As indicated, the material in Series II was originally organized alphabetically by correspondents' names and subjects. The original order of the material was almost always preserved, though folders and files were occasionally reorganized or renamed when necessary. Material at the end of this series marked "Grants" was made its own subseries.

Series III contains material separated because of its larger size.

Material from the Home of Ernst Courant (Subseries A: Correspondence, Subseries B: Subject Files) Material from the Office of Richard Courant (Subseries A: General Files, Subseries B: Grants) Oversize Material

This collection is arranged in three series. The first two are based on where the material was housed prior to arriving at the University Archives. Series I contains material from the home of Courant's son Ernst, while Series II are from Courant's office. The original folder titles were mostly maintained.

Series I arrived at the University Archives with some semblance of an order. Correspondence was distinctly labeled as such and generally kept alphabetical. The present organization of this series was devised to reflect the original order of the material and the alphabetical nature of Series II's order.

Folders labeled correspondence were organized into their own series. The rest of the material was organized into subject files and arranged alphabetically. In many cases subject files already had folder titles.

As indicated, the material in Series II was originally organized alphabetically by correspondents' names and subjects. The original order of the material was almost always preserved, though folders and files were occasionally reorganized when necessary. Material at the end of this series marked "Grants" was made its own subseries.

Series III contains material separated because of its larger size.

Arrangement

  1. Series I: Material from the Home of Ernst Courant
  2. Subseries A: Correspondence
  3. Subseries B: Subject Files
  4. Series II: Material from the Office of Richard Courant
  5. Subseries A: General Files
  6. Subseries B: Grants
  7. Series III: Oversize

Scope and Contents

Approximately two-thirds of Series I and one-quarter of Series II is in German. After most of the collection was processed, the boxes were examined by an Archives staff member proficient in German. Notes on much of the German material can be found in the Container Listing at the folder-level.

Series I contains the earliest material in the collection and is mostly correspondence. The bulk of the series spans the years 1900-1940, covering Courant's time as a young student to his immigration to the U.S., but also includes files from around the time of his death. The series contains materials on Courant's schooling in Germany, including diplomas, certificates and records of his coursework as well as documents from his time in the German Army during World War I. These include trench maps and a certificate for a war service medal. Much of the series consists of correspondence with colleagues at the University of Göttingen, their articles and dissertations. The letters pertain to mathematics at Göttingen, the effects of the Nazi regime on academia and mathematics and other personal matters. Courant's move from Germany to the U.S. is also documented in this series. Some material in Series I was used by Courant biographer Constance Reid. This is indicated by folder-level notes.

Series II, which contains a wide range of material, represents the bulk of the collection. It is largely comprised of correspondence with American, German and international colleagues, many of whom Courant tried to help secure relocation and employment at various U.S. universities during the Nazi era. Correspondence is typically filed under the correspondent's name or by the first letter of the surname.

Many of Courant's publications, lecture material and articles are also scattered throughout this series. Material related to his book publishing, translation, rights and written critiques from readers and mathematicians are included as well. Publisher Springer-Verlag, and specifically Ferdinand Springer, figures prominently in this area.

The collection details the full length of Courant's career at NYU. Administrative correspondence documents the growth of the Department of Mathematics and assembly of its faculty from Courant's closest colleagues and its evolution into the Institute for Mathematics and Mechanics and then into the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

Courant and the IMS's World War II and post-war government consulting work is also well-represented in the collection, especially his work with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Office of Naval Research and IBM. Courant also spent the post-war period working to build a relationship between American and Soviet mathematicians and scientists. Correspondence and information about Soviet-American conferences are found in the collection as well. The material also reflects Courant's membership in the Mathematical Association of America, National Academy of Sciences, National Philosophical Society, Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. and the Cosmos Club.

The Courant Papers notably contains correspondence to and from Albert Einstein, Harald and Niels Bohr, Max Born, Fritz John, J.J. Stoker, K.O. Friedrichs, Abraham Flexner, Edward Teller and J. Robert Oppenheimer as well as many others. Also included is a plaque depicting with Friedrich Leo.

Subjects

Conditions Governing Access

Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.

Conditions Governing Use

Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Richard Courant are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from repository. Please contact New York University Archives, university-archives@nyu.edu.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; The Richard Courant Papers; MC 150; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred by Richard Courant and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Accession numbers associated with this collection are 97.010 and 97.010.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

This collection contained a large amount of typed correspondence printed on extremely brittle paper. In most cases, preservation photocopies replace the originals, which were discarded except when they contained signficant handwritten marks.

There are four German copies of Methods of Mathematical Physics Vol. II in the collection. They are all printed on brittle paper. An access copy of the book was made from the only complete copy of the book in the collection. Two copies are annotated and all annotations have been copied and made available to researchers. A fourth copy, incomplete and without annotations, was not copied. The originals have been restricted for preservation purposes. The copies and originals are housed in Boxes 61-63, including a box numbered 62b.

Separated Materials

Maps depicting World War I trenches and earth telegraph testing grounds have been relocated to oversize flat storage. Documents including Courant's educational certificates as well as the certificate for the Military Merit Cross Courant received in 1916 were moved to Box 96. An issue of the newspaper Die Rote Fahne was also removed to flat file storage. See folder-level notes for original location of these materials.

Photos of the IMS offices at 25 Waverly Place have been moved to the photo collection.

Collection processed by

Katie Ehrlich. Additional processing and German translation by Ryan Dahn

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:25:05 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2018 are unknown. In 2019 the small plaque depciting Frederich Leo was rehoused by Preservation and sent offsite.

Revisions to this Guide

June 2019: Updated by Jennifer E. Neal to incorporate materials being sent offsite in 2019 and for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description

Repository

New York University Archives
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012