Obituary
From Town Topics, Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946
Marshall Clagett, 89, of Princeton, died October 21. Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home for the past four decades, he was one of the world's leading historians of medieval science, in particular the work and influence of Archimedes.
The author of more than a dozen volumes on the history of science and mathematics, his lifetime of work was marked by rigorous research and scholarship on the continuity of the history of science from antiquity, through Byzantium and Islam to the medieval and Renaissance West. He was twice a Member in the Institute's School of Historical Studies, in 1958-59 and in 1963, and was appointed to the faculty in 1964. He has been Professor Emeritus since 1986.
"Marshall Clagett brought an intensity and vitality to his field of study," said Peter Goddard, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. "His influential body of work has had an indelible impact on the history of medieval science, and the depth and clarity of his scholarship has enlightened our understanding of subject areas as diverse as medieval physics and Egyptology. He will be greatly missed by the Institute."
Prof. Clagett's most recent work at the Institute focused on science in ancient Egypt, for which he has made extensive use of computers for the interpretation of hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was working on the fourth and final volume of Ancient Egyptian Science. In 1989, Volume I of this text received the John Frederick Lewis Prize of the American Philosophical Society, and marked the second time Prof. Clagett received the prize. He was first awarded it in 1981 for Volumes II and IV of his seminal work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages.
Known for his genial manner, Prof. Clagett employed a meticulous style in his research and was uncompromising in his careful translations and interpretations of ancient texts. He is perhaps best known for his landmark ten-tome, five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, which was published over a period of 20 years.
Born in Washington, D.C., he began his undergraduate education in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology, transferring in 1935 to George Washington University. There he completed both his A.B. and a Master of Arts in 1937. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, with a thesis in the history of science. From that year until 1946, he served in the United States Navy, beginning his military career as an Ensign and completing it as a Lieutenant Commander, after which he returned to Columbia as an instructor in history and the history of science.
Before his appointment to the faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study, he served as professor of the History of Science, and later Vilas Research Professor, in the Department of History of Science at the University of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1964, where he was also director of the University's Institute for Research in the Humanities from 1959 to 1964. He was instrumental in making Wisconsin an important center for the study of the history of science, and in shaping critical thinking in the field.
His work was recognized with numerous awards. In 1981, he received the Alexandre Koyré Medal of the International Academy of the History of Science for Archimedes in the Middle Ages. In 1995, he was awarded one of two newly-created Giovanni Dondi dall'Orologio European Prizes in the History of Science, Technology, and Industry, given in recognition of a lifetime of scholarship in the history of science. In presenting the 35th annual International Galileo Galilei Prize in 1996, given by the Award Foundation of the Italian Rotary for outstanding contributions by a foreign scholar to the study and diffusion of Italian culture, Prof. Tristano Bolelli, President of the Award Foundation, said of Prof. Clagett, "In his long and industrious scholarly life in the history of science he has drawn an exacting picture, rich and suggestive, of the European scientific and philosophical culture from the Duecento to Galileo, one in which he has amply and fittingly documented the essential contribution of Italian civilization."
A fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and past president of the History of Science Society, he was a member and former vice president of the American Philosophical Society. He was also a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, and the International Academy of the History of Science, which he served as vice president from 1968 to 1971.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Riley Clagett of Princeton; a daughter, Kathleen Williams of Towson, Md.; two sons, Dennis of Nyon, Switzerland and Michael of Yardley, Pa.; a half-brother, Brice Clagett of Washington, D.C.; and five grandchildren
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Marshall Clagett
Race: White
Age: 24
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916 Residence Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Registration Date: 1940
Employer: Student Columbia University
Weight: 143
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5 9
Next of Kin: Claire M Clagett
Household Members:
Name Relationship
Marshall Clagett Self (Head)
Claire M Clagett Mother
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Marshall Clagett
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia Death Date: 21 Oct 2005
Father: Maurice B Clagett
Mother: Claire B Manning
SSN: 388407859
Notes: Dec 1957: Name listed as MARSHALL CLAGETT
Dr Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
Name: Dr Marshall Clagett
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Phone Number: 921-9065
Address: 30 Maxwell Ln, Princeton, NJ, 08540-4932 (1993)
[147 Crestview Dr, Princeton, NJ, 08540-7678 (1974)]
--------------------
MARSHALL CLAGETT, 89 Historian was expert on Archimedes
Friday, October 28, 2005 Page S9
Princeton, N.J. -- Marshall Clagett, one of the world's pre-eminent historians of ancient and medieval science and the work of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, died Oct. 21. He was 89.
Mr. worked for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for the last four decades. He wrote extensively about Archimedes, publishing a five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, over a period of 20 years.
In his most recent work about science in ancient Egypt, Mr. Claggett used computers to interpret hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was also completing the fourth and final volume of a work titled Ancient Egyptian Science. AP
From Town Topics, Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946
Marshall Clagett, 89, of Princeton, died October 21. Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home for the past four decades, he was one of the world's leading historians of medieval science, in particular the work and influence of Archimedes.
The author of more than a dozen volumes on the history of science and mathematics, his lifetime of work was marked by rigorous research and scholarship on the continuity of the history of science from antiquity, through Byzantium and Islam to the medieval and Renaissance West. He was twice a Member in the Institute's School of Historical Studies, in 1958-59 and in 1963, and was appointed to the faculty in 1964. He has been Professor Emeritus since 1986.
"Marshall Clagett brought an intensity and vitality to his field of study," said Peter Goddard, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. "His influential body of work has had an indelible impact on the history of medieval science, and the depth and clarity of his scholarship has enlightened our understanding of subject areas as diverse as medieval physics and Egyptology. He will be greatly missed by the Institute."
Prof. Clagett's most recent work at the Institute focused on science in ancient Egypt, for which he has made extensive use of computers for the interpretation of hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was working on the fourth and final volume of Ancient Egyptian Science. In 1989, Volume I of this text received the John Frederick Lewis Prize of the American Philosophical Society, and marked the second time Prof. Clagett received the prize. He was first awarded it in 1981 for Volumes II and IV of his seminal work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages.
Known for his genial manner, Prof. Clagett employed a meticulous style in his research and was uncompromising in his careful translations and interpretations of ancient texts. He is perhaps best known for his landmark ten-tome, five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, which was published over a period of 20 years.
Born in Washington, D.C., he began his undergraduate education in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology, transferring in 1935 to George Washington University. There he completed both his A.B. and a Master of Arts in 1937. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, with a thesis in the history of science. From that year until 1946, he served in the United States Navy, beginning his military career as an Ensign and completing it as a Lieutenant Commander, after which he returned to Columbia as an instructor in history and the history of science.
Before his appointment to the faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study, he served as professor of the History of Science, and later Vilas Research Professor, in the Department of History of Science at the University of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1964, where he was also director of the University's Institute for Research in the Humanities from 1959 to 1964. He was instrumental in making Wisconsin an important center for the study of the history of science, and in shaping critical thinking in the field.
His work was recognized with numerous awards. In 1981, he received the Alexandre Koyré Medal of the International Academy of the History of Science for Archimedes in the Middle Ages. In 1995, he was awarded one of two newly-created Giovanni Dondi dall'Orologio European Prizes in the History of Science, Technology, and Industry, given in recognition of a lifetime of scholarship in the history of science. In presenting the 35th annual International Galileo Galilei Prize in 1996, given by the Award Foundation of the Italian Rotary for outstanding contributions by a foreign scholar to the study and diffusion of Italian culture, Prof. Tristano Bolelli, President of the Award Foundation, said of Prof. Clagett, "In his long and industrious scholarly life in the history of science he has drawn an exacting picture, rich and suggestive, of the European scientific and philosophical culture from the Duecento to Galileo, one in which he has amply and fittingly documented the essential contribution of Italian civilization."
A fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and past president of the History of Science Society, he was a member and former vice president of the American Philosophical Society. He was also a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, and the International Academy of the History of Science, which he served as vice president from 1968 to 1971.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Riley Clagett of Princeton; a daughter, Kathleen Williams of Towson, Md.; two sons, Dennis of Nyon, Switzerland and Michael of Yardley, Pa.; a half-brother, Brice Clagett of Washington, D.C.; and five grandchildren
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Marshall Clagett
Race: White
Age: 24
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916 Residence Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Registration Date: 1940
Employer: Student Columbia University
Weight: 143
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5 9
Next of Kin: Claire M Clagett
Household Members:
Name Relationship
Marshall Clagett Self (Head)
Claire M Clagett Mother
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Marshall Clagett
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia Death Date: 21 Oct 2005
Father: Maurice B Clagett
Mother: Claire B Manning
SSN: 388407859
Notes: Dec 1957: Name listed as MARSHALL CLAGETT
Dr Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
Name: Dr Marshall Clagett
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Phone Number: 921-9065
Address: 30 Maxwell Ln, Princeton, NJ, 08540-4932 (1993)
[147 Crestview Dr, Princeton, NJ, 08540-7678 (1974)]
--------------------
MARSHALL CLAGETT, 89 Historian was expert on Archimedes
Friday, October 28, 2005 Page S9
Princeton, N.J. -- Marshall Clagett, one of the world's pre-eminent historians of ancient and medieval science and the work of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, died Oct. 21. He was 89.
Mr. worked for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for the last four decades. He wrote extensively about Archimedes, publishing a five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, over a period of 20 years.
In his most recent work about science in ancient Egypt, Mr. Claggett used computers to interpret hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was also completing the fourth and final volume of a work titled Ancient Egyptian Science. AP
Obituary
From Town Topics, Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946
Marshall Clagett, 89, of Princeton, died October 21. Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home for the past four decades, he was one of the world's leading historians of medieval science, in particular the work and influence of Archimedes.
The author of more than a dozen volumes on the history of science and mathematics, his lifetime of work was marked by rigorous research and scholarship on the continuity of the history of science from antiquity, through Byzantium and Islam to the medieval and Renaissance West. He was twice a Member in the Institute's School of Historical Studies, in 1958-59 and in 1963, and was appointed to the faculty in 1964. He has been Professor Emeritus since 1986.
"Marshall Clagett brought an intensity and vitality to his field of study," said Peter Goddard, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. "His influential body of work has had an indelible impact on the history of medieval science, and the depth and clarity of his scholarship has enlightened our understanding of subject areas as diverse as medieval physics and Egyptology. He will be greatly missed by the Institute."
Prof. Clagett's most recent work at the Institute focused on science in ancient Egypt, for which he has made extensive use of computers for the interpretation of hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was working on the fourth and final volume of Ancient Egyptian Science. In 1989, Volume I of this text received the John Frederick Lewis Prize of the American Philosophical Society, and marked the second time Prof. Clagett received the prize. He was first awarded it in 1981 for Volumes II and IV of his seminal work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages.
Known for his genial manner, Prof. Clagett employed a meticulous style in his research and was uncompromising in his careful translations and interpretations of ancient texts. He is perhaps best known for his landmark ten-tome, five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, which was published over a period of 20 years.
Born in Washington, D.C., he began his undergraduate education in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology, transferring in 1935 to George Washington University. There he completed both his A.B. and a Master of Arts in 1937. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, with a thesis in the history of science. From that year until 1946, he served in the United States Navy, beginning his military career as an Ensign and completing it as a Lieutenant Commander, after which he returned to Columbia as an instructor in history and the history of science.
Before his appointment to the faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study, he served as professor of the History of Science, and later Vilas Research Professor, in the Department of History of Science at the University of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1964, where he was also director of the University's Institute for Research in the Humanities from 1959 to 1964. He was instrumental in making Wisconsin an important center for the study of the history of science, and in shaping critical thinking in the field.
His work was recognized with numerous awards. In 1981, he received the Alexandre Koyré Medal of the International Academy of the History of Science for Archimedes in the Middle Ages. In 1995, he was awarded one of two newly-created Giovanni Dondi dall'Orologio European Prizes in the History of Science, Technology, and Industry, given in recognition of a lifetime of scholarship in the history of science. In presenting the 35th annual International Galileo Galilei Prize in 1996, given by the Award Foundation of the Italian Rotary for outstanding contributions by a foreign scholar to the study and diffusion of Italian culture, Prof. Tristano Bolelli, President of the Award Foundation, said of Prof. Clagett, "In his long and industrious scholarly life in the history of science he has drawn an exacting picture, rich and suggestive, of the European scientific and philosophical culture from the Duecento to Galileo, one in which he has amply and fittingly documented the essential contribution of Italian civilization."
A fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and past president of the History of Science Society, he was a member and former vice president of the American Philosophical Society. He was also a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, and the International Academy of the History of Science, which he served as vice president from 1968 to 1971.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Riley Clagett of Princeton; a daughter, Kathleen Williams of Towson, Md.; two sons, Dennis of Nyon, Switzerland and Michael of Yardley, Pa.; a half-brother, Brice Clagett of Washington, D.C.; and five grandchildren
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Marshall Clagett
Race: White
Age: 24
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916 Residence Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Registration Date: 1940
Employer: Student Columbia University
Weight: 143
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5 9
Next of Kin: Claire M Clagett
Household Members:
Name Relationship
Marshall Clagett Self (Head)
Claire M Clagett Mother
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Marshall Clagett
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia Death Date: 21 Oct 2005
Father: Maurice B Clagett
Mother: Claire B Manning
SSN: 388407859
Notes: Dec 1957: Name listed as MARSHALL CLAGETT
Dr Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
Name: Dr Marshall Clagett
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Phone Number: 921-9065
Address: 30 Maxwell Ln, Princeton, NJ, 08540-4932 (1993)
[147 Crestview Dr, Princeton, NJ, 08540-7678 (1974)]
--------------------
MARSHALL CLAGETT, 89 Historian was expert on Archimedes
Friday, October 28, 2005 Page S9
Princeton, N.J. -- Marshall Clagett, one of the world's pre-eminent historians of ancient and medieval science and the work of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, died Oct. 21. He was 89.
Mr. worked for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for the last four decades. He wrote extensively about Archimedes, publishing a five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, over a period of 20 years.
In his most recent work about science in ancient Egypt, Mr. Claggett used computers to interpret hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was also completing the fourth and final volume of a work titled Ancient Egyptian Science. AP
From Town Topics, Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946
Marshall Clagett, 89, of Princeton, died October 21. Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home for the past four decades, he was one of the world's leading historians of medieval science, in particular the work and influence of Archimedes.
The author of more than a dozen volumes on the history of science and mathematics, his lifetime of work was marked by rigorous research and scholarship on the continuity of the history of science from antiquity, through Byzantium and Islam to the medieval and Renaissance West. He was twice a Member in the Institute's School of Historical Studies, in 1958-59 and in 1963, and was appointed to the faculty in 1964. He has been Professor Emeritus since 1986.
"Marshall Clagett brought an intensity and vitality to his field of study," said Peter Goddard, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. "His influential body of work has had an indelible impact on the history of medieval science, and the depth and clarity of his scholarship has enlightened our understanding of subject areas as diverse as medieval physics and Egyptology. He will be greatly missed by the Institute."
Prof. Clagett's most recent work at the Institute focused on science in ancient Egypt, for which he has made extensive use of computers for the interpretation of hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was working on the fourth and final volume of Ancient Egyptian Science. In 1989, Volume I of this text received the John Frederick Lewis Prize of the American Philosophical Society, and marked the second time Prof. Clagett received the prize. He was first awarded it in 1981 for Volumes II and IV of his seminal work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages.
Known for his genial manner, Prof. Clagett employed a meticulous style in his research and was uncompromising in his careful translations and interpretations of ancient texts. He is perhaps best known for his landmark ten-tome, five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, which was published over a period of 20 years.
Born in Washington, D.C., he began his undergraduate education in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology, transferring in 1935 to George Washington University. There he completed both his A.B. and a Master of Arts in 1937. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, with a thesis in the history of science. From that year until 1946, he served in the United States Navy, beginning his military career as an Ensign and completing it as a Lieutenant Commander, after which he returned to Columbia as an instructor in history and the history of science.
Before his appointment to the faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study, he served as professor of the History of Science, and later Vilas Research Professor, in the Department of History of Science at the University of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1964, where he was also director of the University's Institute for Research in the Humanities from 1959 to 1964. He was instrumental in making Wisconsin an important center for the study of the history of science, and in shaping critical thinking in the field.
His work was recognized with numerous awards. In 1981, he received the Alexandre Koyré Medal of the International Academy of the History of Science for Archimedes in the Middle Ages. In 1995, he was awarded one of two newly-created Giovanni Dondi dall'Orologio European Prizes in the History of Science, Technology, and Industry, given in recognition of a lifetime of scholarship in the history of science. In presenting the 35th annual International Galileo Galilei Prize in 1996, given by the Award Foundation of the Italian Rotary for outstanding contributions by a foreign scholar to the study and diffusion of Italian culture, Prof. Tristano Bolelli, President of the Award Foundation, said of Prof. Clagett, "In his long and industrious scholarly life in the history of science he has drawn an exacting picture, rich and suggestive, of the European scientific and philosophical culture from the Duecento to Galileo, one in which he has amply and fittingly documented the essential contribution of Italian civilization."
A fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and past president of the History of Science Society, he was a member and former vice president of the American Philosophical Society. He was also a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, and the International Academy of the History of Science, which he served as vice president from 1968 to 1971.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Riley Clagett of Princeton; a daughter, Kathleen Williams of Towson, Md.; two sons, Dennis of Nyon, Switzerland and Michael of Yardley, Pa.; a half-brother, Brice Clagett of Washington, D.C.; and five grandchildren
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Marshall Clagett
Race: White
Age: 24
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916 Residence Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA Registration Date: 1940
Employer: Student Columbia University
Weight: 143
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5 9
Next of Kin: Claire M Clagett
Household Members:
Name Relationship
Marshall Clagett Self (Head)
Claire M Clagett Mother
Marshall Clagett
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Marshall Clagett
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia Death Date: 21 Oct 2005
Father: Maurice B Clagett
Mother: Claire B Manning
SSN: 388407859
Notes: Dec 1957: Name listed as MARSHALL CLAGETT
Dr Marshall Clagett
in the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
Name: Dr Marshall Clagett
Birth Date: 23 Jan 1916
Phone Number: 921-9065
Address: 30 Maxwell Ln, Princeton, NJ, 08540-4932 (1993)
[147 Crestview Dr, Princeton, NJ, 08540-7678 (1974)]
--------------------
MARSHALL CLAGETT, 89 Historian was expert on Archimedes
Friday, October 28, 2005 Page S9
Princeton, N.J. -- Marshall Clagett, one of the world's pre-eminent historians of ancient and medieval science and the work of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, died Oct. 21. He was 89.
Mr. worked for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for the last four decades. He wrote extensively about Archimedes, publishing a five-volume work, Archimedes in the Middle Ages, over a period of 20 years.
In his most recent work about science in ancient Egypt, Mr. Claggett used computers to interpret hieroglyphics. At the time of his death, he was also completing the fourth and final volume of a work titled Ancient Egyptian Science. AP
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