Andrew M. Gleason

Andrew Mattei Gleason (4 November 1921 to 17 October 2008) was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to widely varied areas of mathematics, including the solution of Hilbert's fifth problem, and was a leader in reform and innovation in mathematics teaching at all levels. Gleason's theorem in quantum logic and the Greenwood-Gleason graph, an important example in Ramsey theory, are named for him. As a young World War II naval officer he broke German and Japanese military codes. After the war he spent his entire academic career at Harvard University, retiring in 1992, and his posts included chairmanship of the Harvard Mathematics Department and presidency of the American Mathematical Society.