Lucasian chair
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The Lucasian chair is a professorship in mathematics at the University of Cambridge (UK). It was established by Henry Lucas, a Member of Parliament for the university from 1639 to 1640, who endowed it magnificently, according the standards of the day, with an annual stipend of £100, more or less. This was in 1663. The first holder, Isaac Barrow, delivered his inaugural series of lectures in 1664, beginning on 14 March. On 29 October 1669 he was succeeded by Isaac Newton, who held the chair until 1701, although he was appointed Warden of the Mint on 19 March 1696. The present holder is Stephen Hawking.
| Professor | Life Dates | Chair Dates | Specialty | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac Barrow | 1630-1677 | 1664-1669 | Classics/Mathematics | ||
| Sir Isaac Newton | 1642-1727 | 1669-1701 | Mathematics/Physics | ||
| William Whiston | 1667-1752 | 1702-1710 | Mathematics | ||
| Nicolas Saunderson | 1682-1739 | 1711-1739 | Mathematics | ||
| John Colson | 1680-1760 | 1739-1760 | Mathematics | ||
| Edward Waring | 1736-1798 | 1760-1798 | Mathematics | ||
| Isaac Milner | 1750-1820 | 1798-1820 | Mathematics/Chemistry | ||
| Robert Woodhouse | 1773-1827 | 1820-1822 | Mathematics | ||
| Thomas Turton | 1780-1864 | 1822-1826 | Mathematics | ||
| Sir George Airy | 1801-1892 | 1826-1828 | Astronomy | ||
| Charles Babbage | 1792-1871 | 1828-1839 | Mathematics/Computing | ||
| Joshua King | 1798-1857 | 1839-1849 | Mathematics | ||
| Sir George Stokes | 1819-1903 | 1849-1903 | Physics/Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Sir Joseph Larmor | 1857-1942 | 1903-1932 | Physics | ||
| Paul Dirac | 1902-1984 | 1932-1969 | Physics | ||
| Sir M. James Lighthill | 1924-1998 | 1969-1980 | Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Stephen Hawking | 1942- | 1980- | Theoretical Physics | ||