Who was John Forbes Nash Jr.? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: John F. Nash, John Nash

Died At Age: 86

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Lardé

father: John Forbes Nash

mother: Margaret Virginia Martin

siblings: Martha Nash

children: John Charles Martin Nash, John David Stier

Born Country: United States

Bisexual Mathematicians

Died on: May 23, 2015

place of death: Monroe Township, New Jersey, United States

U.S. State: West Virginia

Cause of Death: Car Accident

Diseases & Disabilities: Schizophrenia

More Facts

education: 1950 - Princeton University, 1948 - Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering, 1945 - Bluefield High School, 1948 - Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering

awards: 1994 - Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
2015 - Abel Prize
1978 - John von Neumann Theory Prize
1999 - Leroy P. Steele Prize

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1

What mental health disorder did John Forbes Nash Jr. suffer from?

John Forbes Nash Jr. suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
2

What is John Forbes Nash Jr. known for in the field of mathematics?

John Forbes Nash Jr. is known for his contributions to game theory, differential geometry, and the study of partial differential equations.
3

How did John Forbes Nash Jr.'s work impact economics and social sciences?

John Forbes Nash Jr.'s work laid the foundation for the analysis of strategic decision-making in economics and social sciences, influencing fields such as bargaining theory and industrial organization.
4

What challenges did John Forbes Nash Jr. face in his personal life?

John Forbes Nash Jr. faced significant challenges due to his battle with mental illness, which affected his career and personal relationships.

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Childhood & Early Life

John Forbes Nash Jr. was born to an electrical engineer having the same name, and his wife, Margaret Virginia Martin, a former school teacher, in the town of Bluefield, West Virginia, on June 13, 1928. The young boy had a younger sibling, Martha, who was born approximately two and a half years later.

On completing high school, John went on to pursue a course in chemical engineering from the 'Carnegie Institute of Technology', presently known as the 'Carnegie Mellon University'. Here, he changed courses to chemistry and subsequently earned both a B.S. and an M.S. in mathematics in 1948, due to his academic brilliance.

He earned a 'John S. Kennedy scholarship' to the prestigious 'Princeton University', where he specialised in the equilibrium theory in mathematics. In 1950, the young man was able to graduate with a doctorate degree for his research on 'non-cooperative games'.

During this time, he published dissertation papers like 'Equilibrium Points in N-person Games', 'The Bargaining Problem', and 'Non-cooperative Games’.

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Career

Around the same time, he was hired as a consultant by the ‘RAND Corporation’, where he conducted major research studies on ‘Game Theory’. In 1951, Nash began working for the ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology’ (‘MIT’) as a temporary mathematics teacher.

In 1952, he published his work on other areas of mathematics, in the paper, 'Real algebraic manifolds'. The following year, the thesis paper, 'Two-person Cooperative Games', based on his research conducted at ‘Princeton University’ was also published.

While working on a problem related to German mathematician David Hilbert's 'elliptic partial differential equations', John got acquainted with Italian, Ennio de Giorgi in 1956. Both Nash and Giorgi formulated the proof for the equation, a few months away from each other, and thus both missed out on the 'Fields Medal'.

In 1958, he began working as a lecturer on a probationary term, at the 'MIT'. By the following year, his work started getting hampered owing to symptoms of mental illness, which became quite evident after his incoherent speech at the 'American Mathematical Society' of 'Columbia University'.

In 1959, the brilliant mathematician was forced to resign from his post at the ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology’, and was sent to the ‘McLean Hospital’, to get treatment for suspected schizophrenia.

After a long period of hospitalization, Nash was able to continue work since 1970, the year he refused to be treated any further for his schizophrenia. Within the next ten years, he overcame his regular hallucinations, and was able to concentrate completely on academic research.

Towards the end of his career, he worked at the 'Princeton University', as a Senior Research Mathematician. In 2005, he delivered a speech at the 'Warwick Economics Summit', hosted by the 'University of Warwick'.

In 2006, he also attended a conference at Cologne, one of Germany's largest cities, where he spoke about strategic decision making using his 'Game Theory'. In recent times, Nash had conducted extensive studies in the field of game theory and partial differential equations.

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Major Works

Amongst all mathematical research conducted by this genius, the one that brought him fame, and the ‘Nobel Prize’, is his work on ‘Game Theory’. The ‘Game Theory’ has become a significant area of study in the field of economics, and it describes how participants of a game take decisions individually or collectively to arrive at a win-win situation.

Awards & Achievements

This ingenious mathematician was felicitated with the 1978 'John von Neumann Theory Prize', for pioneering the 'non-cooperative equilibrium', which has now been named after him, as the 'Nash equilibrium'.

In 1994, this accomplished mathematician received the 'Nobel Prize', in the field of 'Economic Sciences', for his work on 'Game Theory'. He shared the award with German Economist, Reinhard Selten, and Hungarian-American scholar, John Harsanyi.

The 'Leroy P. Steele Prize' was awarded to John in the year 1999, for his invaluable contribution to the field of mathematics.

In 2010, he received the 'Double Helix Medal' by the 'Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory', for his fight against schizophrenia.

On May 19, 2015, Norway's King Herald V honoured John and fellow mathematician, Louis Nirenberg, with the 'Abel Prize', for their research on 'nonlinear partial differential equations'.

He has also received several honorary doctorates and degrees from esteemed institutions like the 'Carnegie Mellon University', 'University of Antwerp', University of Naples Federico II'.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1952, John Nash was in a relationship with a nurse named Eleanor Stier. However, when Eleanor got pregnant with the young mathematician's son, John David Stier, she was left to fend for herself.

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Two years later, he was arrested in California, for his homosexual encounters in a public toilet. He was released from prison soon, but the exceptional mathematician lost his job at the 'RAND Corporation'.

In February 1957, Nash got married to a physics graduate from 'MIT', Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Lardé, according to Roman Catholic customs and the couple had a son, John Charles Martin.

Soon John started developing symptoms of mental illness, and authorities at the ‘McLean Hospital’ diagnosed him with schizophrenia. Nash was later institutionalized at the 'New Jersey State Hospital', and from then on was treated regularly for the disease.

In 1963, Nash and Alicia separated owing to the degenerative nature of the mathematician’s disease. It was only after seven years that he finally refused to take further treatment, and was out of hospitals.

The 1998 biography of this great mathematician, 'A Beautiful Mind' was penned by Sylvia Nasar.

Three years later, the book became the basis for filmmaker Ron Howard's movie, having the same title. The movie, 'A Beautiful Mind' starred American actor Russell Crowe as Nash, and won several accolades, including the 'Academy Award for Best Picture'.

In 2001, Alicia and John remarried, and were together for the next fourteen years.

The ‘Nobel Prize’ winner and his wife died on May 23, 2015, at the ‘New Jersey Turnpike’, in a car accident, when the driver of the cab they were in, lost control and the passengers landed outside the car.

Facts About John Forbes Nash Jr.

was known for his eccentric fashion sense, often sporting mismatched socks and colorful ties.

Nash was a talented musician and enjoyed playing the piano and composing music in his spare time.

He had a unique way of thinking and problem-solving, often coming up with unconventional solutions to complex mathematical problems.

Nash had a playful sense of humor and enjoyed cracking jokes with friends and colleagues, showing a more lighthearted side to his personality.

Despite his struggles with mental illness, Nash never lost his passion for learning and continued to make significant contributions to the field of mathematics throughout his life.

John Forbes Nash Jr. Biography

You wanted to know

What mental health disorder did John Forbes Nash Jr. suffer from?

What is John Forbes Nash Jr. known for in the field of mathematics?

How did John Forbes Nash Jr.'s work impact economics and social sciences?

What challenges did John Forbes Nash Jr. face in his personal life?