Theodore Strong

Theodore Strong (July 26, 1790 – February 1, 1869) was an American mathematician. Early life Strong was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts on July 26, 1790. He was the second son of Rev. Joseph Strong and Sophia (née Woodbridge) Strong. Through his paternal grandfather, also known as Rev. Joseph Strong, he was a direct descendant of Joseph Strong, who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630, and through his maternal grandfather, Rev. John Woodbridge of South Hadley, he was a direct descendant of Governor Thomas Dudley, and Rev. John Woodbridge, who came to Massachusetts in 1634. After his father's death, he was adopted by his wealthy unmarried uncle, Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, who raised him as his own son. Strong graduated from Yale College in 1812. Career Upon his graduation he was appointed Tutor in Mathematics in Hamilton College, then just organized, and in 1816 he was made Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, and so remained until 1827, when he was called to a similar position in Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J., where he also served as the college's longtime vice president. Strong was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1832. He retired from Rutgers in 1863.