Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin
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Baron Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin |
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| Born |
August 14, 1866 Leuven, Belgium |
| Died | March 2, 1962 (aged 95) Watermael-Boitsfort, Brussels, Belgium |
| Citizenship | Belgium |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) |
| Notable students | Georges Lemaître |
| Known for | Prime number theorem |
Charles-Jean Étienne Gustave Nicolas Le Vieux, Baron de la Vallée Poussin (14 August 1866 – 2 March 1962) was a Belgian mathematician. He is best known for proving the Prime number theorem.
The king of Belgium ennobled him with the title of baron.
De la Vallée-Poussin was born in Leuven, Belgium. He studied mathematics at the Catholic University of Leuven under his uncle Louis-Philippe Gilbert, after he had earned his bachelor's degree in engineering. De la Vallée-Poussin was encouraged to study for a doctorate in physics and mathematics, and in 1891, at the age of just 25, he became an assistant professor in mathematical analysis.
De la Vallée-Poussin became a professor at the same university (as was his father, Charles-Louis-Joseph-Xavier de la Vallée-Poussin, who taught mineralogy and geology) in 1892. De la Vallée-Poussin was awarded with Gilbert's chair when Gilbert died. While he was a professor there, de la Vallée-Poussin carried out research in mathematical analysis and the theory of numbers, and in 1905 was awarded the Decennial Prize for Pure Mathematics 1894–1903. He was awarded this prize a second time in 1924 for his work during 1914–23.
In 1898, de la Vallée-Poussin was appointed as the correspondent to the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences, and he became a Member of the Academy in 1908. In 1923, he became the President of the Division of Sciences.
In August 1914, de la Vallée-Poussin escaped from Leuven at the time of its destruction by the invading German Army of World War I, and he was invited to teach at Harvard University in the United States. He accepted this invitation. In 1918, de la Vallée-Poussin returned to Europe to accept professorships in Paris at the Collège de France and at the Sorbonne.
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