Boris Galerkin

Boris Grigoryevich Galerkin (Russian: Бори́с Григо́рьевич Галёркин, surname more accurately romanized as Galyorkin; 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1871 – 12 July 1945), born in Polotsk, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire, was a JewishSoviet mathematician and an engineer.

Galerkin was born on March 4 [O.S. February 20, 1871] 1871 in Polotsk, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire, now part of Belarus, to Girsh-Shleym(Hirsh-Shleym) Galerkin and Perla Basia Galerkina. His parents owned a house in the town, but the homecraft they made did not bring enough money, so at the age of 12, Boris started working as calligrapher in the court. He had finished school in Polotsk, but still needed the exams from an additional year which granted him the right to continue education at a higher level. He passed those in Minsk in 1893, as an external student. The same year he was enrolled at the St. Petersburg Technological Institute, at the mechanics department. Due to the lack of funds Boris Grigoryevich had to combine studying at the institute with working as a draftsman and giving private lessons. In some point of his life, he married Revekka Treivas, a second niece. They did not have any children.

Like many other students and technologists, he was involved in political activities, and joined the social-democratic group. In 1899, the year of graduating from the institute, he became a member of the Russian Social-Democratic Party (which would become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union). This provides a plausible explanation for his frequent job changes. The first three years after graduation Boris Grigoryevich was an engineer at the Russian Mechanical and Steam-locomotive Union factory in Kharkov, while simultaneously teaching workers at special courses. From the end of 1903 he was an engineer on the construction of the China Far East Railway, half a year later he became the technical head at the 'North mechanical and boiler factory' . He participated in organizing the Union of Engineers in St. Petersburg and, in 1905 he was arrested for organizing a strike among the engineers. In 1906, Boris Grigoryevich became a member of the Social-Democratic Party's St. Petersburg Committee and did not work anywhere else.

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