Moore, R. L. (Robert Lee), 1882-

Robert Lee Moore (1882-1974), a prominent mathematician, was a professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin for almost fifty years. He is well known for his work in point-set topology, but is most remembered for his work as an educator. During his long career, Moore supervised over fifty doctoral students, including three members of the National Academy of Sciences, three presidents of the American Mathematical Society and four presidents of the Mathematical Association of America.

Moore was born November 14, 1882, in Dallas, Texas, the fifth child of Charles Jonathan and Louisa Ann Moore. He developed an interest in mathematics early in life, teaching himself out of a calculus textbook before entering The University of Texas in 1898 at the age of sixteen. There he studied under George Bruce Halsted, simultaneously earning a B.S. and M.A. in 1901. After graduating, Moore spent a year as a Fellow in mathematics at UT and taught an analytic geometry course. During his fellowship, Moore discovered a redundancy in Hilbert's formulation of a set of axioms for geometry; this redundancy, unbeknownst to Moore, had already been published earlier that year by E. H. Moore (no relation) of the University of Chicago. Nonetheless, R. L. Moore's version of the redundancy was "elegant" and an important early achievement in his career.

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