Hallard Croft
English mathematician (1936–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hallard Thomas Croft (15 April 1936 – 15 September 2025) was an English mathematician.[1]
Hallard Croft | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1936 Bromley, England |
| Died | 15 September 2025 (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge |
| Doctoral advisor | John Edensor Littlewood |
Life and career
Born in Bromley, he was educated at City of London School[2] and earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1961, under John Edensor Littlewood's supervision.[3] A fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, from 1963 to 2003,[2] in 1967 he invented a geometric shape called Croft's Tortoise and in 1991 he co-authored Unsolved Problems in Geometry with Kenneth Falconer and Richard K. Guy.[4]
Croft clashed with Hugh Trevor-Roper after the latter became Master of Peterhouse in 1980 when Croft was Director of Studies in mathematics and Senior Fellow;[2][5] Croft's conservatism led him to deeply dislike Trevor-Roper, and the upshot was that he was re-elected as a Fellow in 1983 without his seniority. Friends suggested that Trevor-Roper disliked Croft because of his homosexuality.[2][5]
