Changes

His obituary in ''The Times'' newspaper described him as "one of our greatest mathematicians," and said "His contributions to topology were both massive and fundamental".

His obituary in ''The Times'' newspaper described him as "one of our greatest mathematicians," and said "His contributions to topology were both massive and fundamental".

==Early Life==

==Early life==

Whitehead was born on 11 November 1904 in Madras (now Chennai), [[India]], where his father The Right Rev Henry Whitehead, was Bishop. His mother, Isobel Duncan, the daughter of the Rector of Calne, Wiltshire, had studied mathematics at [[Oxford University]], being one of the early women undergraduates there. The famous mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, was his uncle.

Whitehead was born on 11 November 1904 in Madras (now Chennai), [[India]], where his father The Right Rev Henry Whitehead, was Bishop. His mother, Isobel Duncan, the daughter of the Rector of Calne, Wiltshire, had studied mathematics at [[Oxford University]], being one of the early women undergraduates there. The famous mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, was his uncle.

When Henry was aged about eighteen months his parents brought him back from India and left him in the care of his grandmother in [[Oxford]], England. His parents then returned to India and Henry saw little of them until his father retired and returned to England when Henry was sixteen.

When Henry was aged about eighteen months his parents brought him back from India and left him in the care of his grandmother in [[Oxford]], England. His parents then returned to India and Henry saw little of them until his father retired and returned to England when Henry was sixteen.

Whitehead returned to Oxford after being awarded his doctorate and he was elected to a Fellowship at Balliol College in 1933. Soon afterwards he wrote another major work on differential geometry ''On the Covering of a Complete Space by the Geodesics Through a Point'' (1935). Whitehead also studied Stiefel manifolds and set up a school of topology at Oxford, where he was a friend and colleague of [[Max Newman]]. Students remembered him as an inspiring teacher.

Whitehead returned to Oxford after being awarded his doctorate and he was elected to a Fellowship at Balliol College in 1933. Soon afterwards he wrote another major work on differential geometry ''On the Covering of a Complete Space by the Geodesics Through a Point'' (1935). Whitehead also studied Stiefel manifolds and set up a school of topology at Oxford, where he was a friend and colleague of [[Max Newman]]. Students remembered him as an inspiring teacher.

==Wartime Career==

==Wartime career==

The Nazi moves against Jewish mathematicians in Germany gave Whitehead great distress, and he actively helped many to escape to safety. In particular he helped Samuel Eilenberg and Max Dehn escape via England to America. [[Erwin Schrödinger]] came to live in Whitehead's home after escaping from Austria. Whitehead left Oxford in 1940 to undertake war work in London, at the Board of Trade, the Admiralty, and finally at the Foreign Office, during the War.

The Nazi moves against Jewish mathematicians in Germany gave Whitehead great distress, and he actively helped many to escape to safety. In particular he helped Samuel Eilenberg and Max Dehn escape via England to America. [[Erwin Schrödinger]] came to live in Whitehead's home after escaping from Austria. Whitehead left Oxford in 1940 to undertake war work in London, at the Board of Trade, the Admiralty, and finally at the Foreign Office, during the War.

Whitehead's passions included sport and poker.

Whitehead's passions included sport and poker.

==Later Life==

==Later life==

Whitehead returned to his home in North Oxford when World War II ended.  

Whitehead returned to his home in North Oxford when World War II ended.  

In 1947 he was appointed to the Waynflete Chair of Pure Mathematics at Oxford. At that time Whitehead moved from Balliol College to Magdalen College.

In 1947 he was appointed to the Waynflete Chair of Pure Mathematics at Oxford. At that time Whitehead moved from Balliol College to Magdalen College.

<ref>Article by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson

<ref>Article by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Whitehead_Henry.html</ref>

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Whitehead_Henry.html</ref>

<ref> Obituary, The Times, 14 May 1960</ref>

<ref>Obituary, The Times, 14 May 1960</ref>

==References==

==References==