James Joseph Sylvester

English mathematician (1814-1897)
Person human Q310781
James Joseph Sylvester
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James Joseph Sylvester

Summary

James Joseph Sylvester is a human[1]. Born in London[2], he… he was born on September 3, 1814[3]. He died in London[4]. He died on March 15, 1897[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], actuary[7], university teacher[8], and barrister[9]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (281 views/month, #7,198 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Born in London[2], James Joseph Sylvester…
  • James Joseph Sylvester died in London[4].
  • James Joseph Sylvester was born on September 3, 1814[3].
  • James Joseph Sylvester died on March 15, 1897[5].
  • James Joseph Sylvester is buried at Kingsbury Road Cemetery[11].
  • James Joseph Sylvester held citizenship in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[12].
  • English was James Joseph Sylvester's native language[13].
  • James Joseph Sylvester is identified as part of the Jewish people ethnic group[14].
  • James Joseph Sylvester worked as a mathematician[6].
  • James Joseph Sylvester worked as an actuary[7].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's professions included university teacher[8].
  • James Joseph Sylvester worked as a barrister[9].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was algebra[15].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was combinatorics[16].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was number theory[17].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was mathematics[18].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was linear algebra[19].
  • James Joseph Sylvester's field of work was matrix theory[20].
  • James Joseph Sylvester held the position of Savilian Professor of Geometry[21].
  • James Joseph Sylvester held the position of chairperson[22].
  • Among James Joseph Sylvester's employers was Johns Hopkins University[23].
  • Among James Joseph Sylvester's employers was University of London[24].
  • James Joseph Sylvester was employed by University of Virginia[25].
  • James Joseph Sylvester was employed by Royal Military Academy, Woolwich[26].
  • James Joseph Sylvester was employed by University of Oxford[27].

Body

Origins and Family

James Joseph Sylvester's place of birth was London[2]. He was born on September 3, 1814[3]. He is identified as part of the Jewish people ethnic group[14]. English was his native language[13].

Education

Educated at St John's College[28], a college of the University of Cambridge[29], in United Kingdom[30], founded in 1511[31]; Trinity College, Dublin[32], a collegiate university[33], in Ireland[34], founded in 1592[35], headquartered in Dublin[36]; University College London[37], a university college[38], in United Kingdom[39], founded in 1826[40], headquartered in UCL Main Building[41]; and Liverpool Royal Institution[42], a learned society[43], in United Kingdom[44], founded in 1814[45], headquartered in Royal Institution[46].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], actuary[7], university teacher[8], and barrister[9]. Fields of work include algebra[15], a branch of mathematics[47]; combinatorics[16], a branch of mathematics[48]; number theory[17], a branch of mathematics[49]; mathematics[18], an academic discipline[50]; linear algebra[19], a branch of mathematics[51]; and matrix theory[20], a branch of mathematics[52]. Employers include Johns Hopkins University[23], a private university[53], in United States[54], founded in 1876[55], headquartered in Baltimore[56]; University of London[24], a university[57], in United Kingdom[58], founded in 1836[59], headquartered in London[60]; University of Virginia[25], a public research university[61], in United States[62], founded in 1819[63], headquartered in Charlottesville[64]; Royal Military Academy, Woolwich[26], a military academy[65], in United Kingdom[66], founded in 1741[67]; University of Oxford[27], a collegiate university[68], in United Kingdom[69], founded in 1096[70], headquartered in Oxford[71]; and Equity and Law Life Assurance Society[72]. Positions held include Savilian Professor of Geometry[21], a chair[73], founded in 1619[74] and chairperson[22], a type of position[75]. Doctoral students include William Pitt Durfee[76], George Bruce Halsted[77], Irving Stringham[78], Thomas Craig[79], Fabian Franklin[80], and Ellery William Davis[81].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Sylvester's law of inertia[82], Sylvester–Gallai theorem[83], and Sylvester's sequence[84]. Things named for James Joseph Sylvester include Sylvester's criterion[85], a theorem[86]; Sylvester's law of inertia[87], a theorem[88]; Sylvester's sequence[89], an integer sequence[90]; Sylvester matrix[91]; Greedy algorithm for Egyptian fractions[92]; Sylvester Medal[93]; and Sylvester[94].

Recognition

Awards received include Copley Medal[95], De Morgan Medal[96], Fellow of the Royal Society[97], and Royal Medal[98].

Personal Life

James Joseph Sylvester's religion is recorded as Judaism[99].

Death and Burial

James Joseph Sylvester died on March 15, 1897[5]. He died in London[4]. He is buried at Kingsbury Road Cemetery[11].

Why It Matters

James Joseph Sylvester ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (281 views/month, #7,198 of 1,000,298).[10] He has Wikipedia articles in 25 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[100] He is known by 22 alternative names across languages and contexts.[101]

He is credited with the discovery of Hadamard matrix[102]. Entities named for him include Sylvester's criterion[85], a theorem[86]; Sylvester's law of inertia[87], a theorem[88]; Sylvester's sequence[89], an integer sequence[90]; Sylvester matrix[91]; Greedy algorithm for Egyptian fractions[92]; and Sylvester Medal[93].

His notable doctoral advisees include Fabian Franklin[103], a mathematician[104], 1853–1939[105]; Irving Stringham[106], a mathematician[107], 1847–1909[108], of United States[109], specialised in mathematics[110]; and George Bruce Halsted[111], a mathematician[112], 1853–1922[113], of United States[114], specialised in geometry[115].

FAQs

Where was James Joseph Sylvester born?

Born in London[2], James Joseph Sylvester…

Where did James Joseph Sylvester die?

James Joseph Sylvester passed away in London[4].

What did James Joseph Sylvester do for work?

James Joseph Sylvester worked as mathematician[6], actuary[7], university teacher[8], and barrister[9].

Where did James Joseph Sylvester go to school?

James Joseph Sylvester was educated at St John's College[28], Trinity College, Dublin[32], University College London[37], and Liverpool Royal Institution[42].

What awards did James Joseph Sylvester receive?

Honors received include Copley Medal[95], De Morgan Medal[96], Fellow of the Royal Society[97], and Royal Medal[98].

What did James Joseph Sylvester discover?

James Joseph Sylvester is credited as discoverer of Hadamard matrix[102].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

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  2. [4] . Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
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  42. [82] . wikidata.org.
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Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [102] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [103] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [106] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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Inline context (facts about related entities)

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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [100] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [101] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). James Joseph Sylvester. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-joseph-sylvester
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_james-joseph-sylvester_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{James Joseph Sylvester}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-joseph-sylvester}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 14d ago · Quesotiotyo · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 4645
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14397]]: 4645, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258229|batch #258229]]"
  2. 22d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Instance of
    Topic's main category Category:James Joseph Sylvester
    Place of birth London
    Described by source Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +3
    + 36 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30848|batch #30848]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (5)"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.