Dr. George Salmon, F.R.S.

Abstract

GEORGE SALMON was born in Dublin on September 25, 1819, and having received his school education in Cork, he entered Trinity College, Dublin, and graduated in the year 1838 after a distinguished university career. He was elected to a scholarship in classics in 1837, and obtained first senior moderatorship at the honour degree examination in mathematics in 1838. In 1840 he was awarded the Madden's premium, having, in the opinion of the examiners at the fellowship examination, “best deserved to succeed if another fellowship had been vacant.” In the year following he was elected to a fellowship. In due course he became tutor, his duties being to lecture to classes of ordinary students twice a day during term, to assist in examining and to advise and direct his pupils. With a large chamber of pupils, such as Salmon's, this work, though not severe, is liable by its frequent interruption to render it extremely difficult for a tutor to carry out any systematic original work; but Salmon knew the value of time, and with his wonderful power of abstraction he produced most of his forty-one mathematical papers and his four great mathematical treatises during his twenty-five years' service as tutor. In 1858 he was appointed Donegal lecturer, and taught engineering students the calculus in addition to his tutorial work. In 1859 he proceeded to the degrees of B.D. and D.D., and he published in 1861 his first series of sermons preached in the Chapel of Trinity College.