Alice Bache Gould: mathematician in search of war work, 1918

Abstract

Alliances between American mathematics and the military were not well defined when the United States entered World War I in April of 1917. Although academic mathematicians – like other American faculty members and students – were among the strongest supporters of the cause, it took time to identify how and where to utilize their technical training in the war effort. This paper investigates the case of Alice Bach Gould, one of E H Moore's mathematics graduate students at the University of Chicago, and her efforts to support US military endeavors with her scientific expertise. Although Gould's substantial research accomplishments in Spanish archives eventually surpassed her mathematical achievements, her quest for war work in 1917 nonetheless illustrates the difficulty of contributing mathematical training to patriotic service in the United States during World War I.

Acknowledgements

A generous Franklin Grant from the American Philosophical Society in part funded the archival work for this paper. An Andrew W Mellon Fellowship from the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) likewise supported valuable time with the Gould manuscripts. Elaine Grublin and Sara Georgini of the MHS and Michelle Gachette of the Harvard University Archives cheerfully and expertly helped me navigate the respective collections. I thank the mathematics department at Simon Fraser University – especially Tom Archibald and Dave Muraki – for providing a welcoming and productive summer work space. Special thanks also go to Patti Hunter of Westmont College for her help with Spanish translation and for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Notes

¹ HUA, O Veblen to G D Birkhoff, 19 May 1917.

² In 1919, the MAA published a list of 178 names of mathematicians in national war service, commissioned, enlisted, or in the reserves.

³ For an example of the extreme painstaking focus on detail that characterizes Gould's work, see Gould 1919.

⁴ `The family will sum all this up as “Porto Rico” just as it sums up all mathematics in “Logarithms”. One word does as well as another for them; they are crabbed old fifteenth century script, and as amusing as Bellamy charades.' See MHS, ABG to Cousin Jennie, 7 Feb [Archivo de Simancas] 1915, Valladolid, and? Feb 1915.

⁵ MHA, Hubert to Vaughn, 15 July 1917, and Hubert to Vaughn, 16 July 1917.

⁶ MHA, ABG to unknown, [undated; `after four and a half months of hard work in Madrid'].

⁷ MHA, J Quincy to Sedgewick, 1 Jan 1918.

⁸ MHA, H Goldmark to Rear Admiral Rousseau, 23 March 1918.

⁹ MHA, E [T?]uckerman to Mr Philips, 6 March 1918.

¹⁰ MHA, F W Thomas to Admiral Staunton, 18 March 1918; H Goldmark to Rear Admiral Rousseau, 23 March 1918.

¹¹ MHA, Branch Hydrographic Office, 18 May 1918; and A W Wood to A B Gould, 10 July 1918.

¹² MHA, `Plea for binoculars', 28 May 1918.

¹³ MHA, A B Gould to B Decker, 20 June 1918.

¹⁴ Unknown to H Howard, 21 June 1918.

¹⁵ MHA, Executive Postal Censorship Committee to A B Gould, 24 June 1918.

¹⁶ MHA, War Dept, 12 July 1918.

¹⁷ MHA, R W Willson to A B Gould, 23 June 1918.

¹⁸ MHA, R W Willson to A B Gould, 23 June 1918.

¹⁹ MHA, A B Gould to P M Hayden, 20 June 1918.

²⁰ MHA, Inspector of Training, First Naval District to A B Gould, 3 July 1918.]

²¹ MHA, E H Moore to A B Gould, 19 June 1918.

²² MHA, F R Moulton to A B Gould, 24 June 1918.

²³ E H Moore to A B Gould, June 1918.

²⁴ MHA, E H Moore to A B Gould, 26 June 1918.

²⁵ MHA, E H Moore to A B Gould, June 1918]

²⁶ MHA, E E [Morse?] to A B Gould, 15 July 1918.

²⁷ MHA, working notebook, 20 Aug 1918.

²⁸ MHA, navigation notebook, 29 July–Aug 1918.

²⁹ MHA, navigation notebook, 8–27 July 1918.

³⁰ MHA, B Decker to A B Gould, 17 Feb 1919. In MHA, A B Gould Diary, 5 Jan 1919, Gould writes ‘My birthday a year since I cried in Capt Ds office. Feel Happy, well, and useful.'

³¹ MHA, J Muirhead to A B Gould, 14 March 1919.

³² MHA, S de Sastra[?] to A B Gould, 15 Feb 1919.

³³ MHA, E H Moore to R E Root, 9 Sept 1918.

³⁴ MHA, E H Moore to F R Moulton, 9 Sept 1918; and E H Moore to Captain Eberle, 9 September 1918.

³⁵ MHA, J S Dickenson to A B Gould, 16 Sept 1918.

³⁶ MHA, Old Corner Bookstore order from A B Gould, 1 Oct 1918.

³⁷ MHA, C H Hastings to A B Gould, 2 Nov 1918.

³⁸ MHA, C L Poor to A B Gould, 20 Dec 1918.

³⁹ MHA, A B Gould Diary, 2 Jan 1918.

⁴⁰ MHA, J Muirhead to A B Gould, 14 March 1919.

⁴¹ MHA, J C M Hanson to A B Gould, 28 Feb 1919.

⁴² MHA, A B Gould Diary, 3–4 Jan 1919.

⁴³ MHA, B Decker to American Consul, 9 Feb 1919; Library of Congress Card Division to A B Gould, 15 Feb 1919; J F Muirhead to A B Gould, 14 March 1919; S de Sastra[?] to A B Gould, 15 Feb 1919.

⁴⁴ MHA, C A Fabens to A B Gould, 2 May 1919; H C to A B Gould, 4 May 1919.