Education
He graduated in 1945 with an Bachelor of Arts in physics. In 1946, he began a Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics at Berkeley.
mathematician university professor
He graduated in 1945 with an Bachelor of Arts in physics. In 1946, he began a Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics at Berkeley.
Vaught was a musical prodigy in his youth, in his case playing the piano. He began his university studies at Pomona College, at age 16. When World World War II broke out, he enlisted into the United States Navy which assigned him to the University of California"s V-12 program
He initially worked under the supervision of the topologist John L. Kelley, writing on C* algebras.
In 1950, in response to McCarthyite pressures, Berkeley required all staff to sign a loyalty oath. Kelley declined and moved his career to Tulane University for three years.
Vaught then began afresh under the supervision of Alfred Tarski, completing in 1954 a thesis on mathematical logic, titled Topics in the Theory of Arithmetical Classes and Boolean Algebras. After spending four years at the University of Washington, Vaught returned to Berkeley in 1958, where he remained until his 1991 retirement.
In 1957, Vaught married Marilyn Maca.
They had two children.