Richard Dedekind

German mathematician who did important work in abstract algebra (particularly ring theory), algebraic number theory and the foundations of the real numbers.

Dedekind was the first at Göttingen to lecture on Galois theory. Around this time, he became one of the first to understand the fundamental importance of the notion of groups for algebra and arithmetic.

In 1858, he began teaching at the Polytechnic in Zürich (today ETH Zürich). In 1862, Dedekind returned to his native Braunschweig, where he spent the rest of his life, teaching at the Institute. He retired in 1894, but did occasional teaching and continued to publish. He never married, instead living with his unmarried sister Julia.

Dedekind was elected to the Academies of Berlin (1880) and Rome, and to the French Academy of Sciences (1900). He received honorary doctorates from the universities of Oslo, Zurich, and Braunschweig.

Dedekind made a number of highly significant contributions to mathematics. Dedekind's brilliance consisted not only of the theorems and concepts that he studied but, because of his ability to formulate and express his ideas so clearly, he introduced a new style of mathematics that been a major influence on mathematicians ever since.

He died on 12 February 1916 at age 84 in Braunschweig.