James Joseph Sylvester, F.R.S. (1814–1897)

Among British mathematicians of the Victorian age there may be others who are comparable with Sylvester in terms of scientific achievement, but surely none whose life story makes such fascinating reading. Any modern biographical memoir of this extraordinary man must obviously depend a great deal on the obituaries published following his death, just a century ago. Of these the two most important are that by Baker, for the London Mathematical Society, and that by MacMahon, for the Royal Society. The former, which was reprinted in the fourth volume of Sylvester's Mathematical Papers, is the longer and more detailed, but the latter is the primary source for most of the biographical material. As the centenary approached there has been a rekindling of interest in Sylvester's life and work. Notably Professor Parshall, of the University of Virginia, is preparing a full–scale biography. Sylvester's contributions to mathematical research are undergoing something of a reevaluation at present, and what is said about them here is therefore kept to a minimum. The account of his life that follows is drawn from various sources both old and new.