Paul Painlevé was a French mathematician and statesman.
Background
He was born on December, 5, 1863, in Paris, france. Brought up within a family of skilled artisans (his father was a draughtsman) Painlevé showed early promise across the range of elementary studies and was initially attracted by either an engineering or political career.
Education
He entered the École Normale Supérieure in 1883 to study mathematics, receiving his doctorate in 1887 following a period of study at Göttingen, Germany.
Career
Painleve initially distinguished himself as a mathematician by a fundamental discovery in the theory of differential equations. A socialist, Painleve turned to politics in 1897 at the time of the Dreyfus case. Elected deputy of Paris in 1910, he was made minister of public instruction (1915 - 1916) by Aristide Briand, with the mission of coordinating scientific research with military needs, and later minister of war in the Ribot cabinet (March-September 1917). Painleve became premier in September 1917, but soon found himself in difficulties because of the defeatism prevalent in leftist circles. He had to resign in November 1917 and then played only a small part in French politics until the "leftist cartel" triumphed in the 1924 elections. In 1924, he was made president of the chamber of deputies, and after the forced resignation of Alexandre Millerand as president of the republic, Painleve was the unsuccessful leftist candidate to that post. He became premier once more, from April to November 1925. Toward the end of his career, he specialized more and more in technical military problems and was again put in charge of the ministry of war (1926 and 1928) and the ministry of air (1930-1931 and 1932 - 1933). He died in Paris, Oct. 29, 1933.
Achievements
Membership
He was a member of The French Academy of Sciences (a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research).
Connections
A few days after Painlevé was born, his mother, Marguerite Petit de Villeneuve, died from complications arising from an infection contracted during childbirth. Painlevé, an only son, was raised by his father's sister Marie.
He married Marguerite Petit de Villeneuve in 1901. Marguerite died during the birth of their son Jean Painlevé in the following year.