Mathematicians who are famous for reasons other than mathematics [closed]
Solution 1:
Here's my favorite:
Theodore John Kaczynski
Solution 2:
Here are some people who studied mathematics, but are more well known for other things:
Ralph Abernathy ~ civil rights leader and close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr., was a mathematics professor at Alabama State University
Corazon Aquino ~ former president of the Philippines, was a mathematics major at the College of Mt. St. Vincent
Tammy Baldwin ~ US Representative and US Senator from Wisconsin majored in polical science and mathematics at Smith College
Harry Blackmun ~ former Associate Justice of the US Supreme court (author of Roe v. Wade), graduated summa cum laude in mathematics from Harvard University
Ahmed Chalabi ~ controversial Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago
Lewis Carroll (AKA Charles Dodgson) ~ author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, was a mathematician and logician who taught at Christ Church College Oxford. He was the author of a number of books on mathematics.
David Dinkins ~ former mayor of New York City, graduated magna cum laude with a BA in mathematics from Howard University
Richard Garfield ~ the game designer who created Magic: The Gathering received a PhD in math from the University of Pennsylvania where he studied under Herbert Wilf
Art Garfunkel ~ Paul Simon’s long-time collaborator, has a masters degree in mathematics from Columbia University (he left the PhD program to pursue his musical career)
Philip Glass ~ American composer, studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Chicago
Teri Hatcher ~ actress, studied mathematics and engineering at De Anza College
Heloise (Poncé Cruse Evans) ~ syndicated columnist (Hints from Heloise) had a double major in business administration and mathematics, with a teacher’s certificate from Southwest Texas State University
Michael Jordan ~ basketball superstar, majored in mathematics until his junior year
Theodore Kaczynski ~ the unabomber, his PhD thesis in mathematics from the University of Michigan won the Sumner B. Myers Prize for best dissertation of the year
Tom Lehrer ~ Singer-songwriter and satirist, received a BA in mathematics (magna cum laude) from Harvard at the age of 18, he went on to complete an MA in mathematics and to start the PhD program
Danica McKellar ~ actress best known for playing Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years, graduated summa cum laude in mathematics from UCLA. She is the author of the best-selling books Math Doesn’t Suck, and Kiss My Math
Harriet Miers ~ President G. W. Bush’s (unsuccessful) nominee to the US Supreme Court, has a bachelors degree in mathematics from Southern Methodist University
Larry Niven ~ award-winning science fiction author, received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Washburn University
William J. Perry ~ Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton, received a PhD in mathematics from Penn State University (and a BA and MA from Stanford University, with George Pólya as his thesis advisor)
David Robinson ~ famous basketball player, nicknamed “The Admiral,” has a BS in mathematics from US Naval Academy
Frank Ryan ~ quarterback who led the Cleveland Browns to the 1964 NFL title, had a PhD in mathematics from Rice University
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ~ Nobel Prize-wining author of The Gulag Archipelago, had a degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Rostov
Bram Stoker ~ author of Dracula, received honors in mathematics from Trinity college, Dublin
John Urshel ~ this NFL player received a BS and MS in math from Penn State, and he is currently in a math PhD program at MIT
Virginia Wade ~ British tennis star, studied mathematics and physics and the University of Sussex
Paul Wolfowitz ~ U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and President of the World Bank, studied mathematics and chemistry at Cornell University