GREGORY, James F.R.S., Professor of Maths, St Andrews & Edinburgh
- Born: November 1638, Drumoak parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
- Marriage (1): JAMESONE, Mary in 1669 1
- Died: October 1675, Edinburgh, Scotland
Another name for James was GREGORIE, James.
General Notes:
James Gregory was Professor of Mathematics at St Andrews University. He died of a stroke in Edinburgh at the age of 36 years.
from Royal Society Gregory family IDENTITY STATEMENT acknowledged with thanks
"James Gregory (1638-1675), mathematician: younger brother of David Gregory (1627-1708); his scientific talent was discovered and encouraged by his brother, and in 1673 at the age of 24 he published his Optica Promota, containing the first feasible description of a reflecting telescope, his invention of it dating from 1661, and inspiring Newton to make his own reflecting telescope; studied mathematics in Padua, 1664-1667, publishing Vera Circuli et Hyperbolae Quadratura in 1667, showing how to find the areas of the circle, elipse, and hyperbole by means of converging series, and applying the same new method to calculation of logarithms; Fellow of the Royal Society, 1668; friendly debate with Newton, 1672-1673, as to merits of their respective telescopes; from 1674 first exclusively mathematical professor at Edinburgh."
James married Mary JAMESONE, daughter of George JAMESONE Painter and Issobell TOSCHE, in 1669.1 (Mary JAMESONE was born in July 1644 2 and died in 1684.)
Marriage Notes:
"All (George) Jameson's sons died in early life .... His daughter, Mary .... was first married to Mr. Burnett of Elrick, in the county of Aberdeen ; afterwards to James Gregory, the celebrated mathematician..."
from Annals of Aberdeen (vol 1) 1
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