Archibald Henderson

author

Archibald Henderson

1877–1963

A mathematician by training and a man of letters by instinct, this North Carolina writer moved easily between academic life, history, and the theater. He is especially remembered for his long connection with the University of North Carolina and for writing about George Bernard Shaw.

2 Audiobooks

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

by Archibald Henderson

The Conquest of the Old Southwest; the romantic story of the early pioneers into Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, 1740-1790

The Conquest of the Old Southwest; the romantic story of the early pioneers into Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, 1740-1790

by Archibald Henderson

About the author

Born in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1877, he became a longtime member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill community. University sources note that he earned his A.B. in 1898, his A.M. in 1899, and the university's first Ph.D. in mathematics in 1902, then spent about fifty years in the mathematics department as student, teacher, and professor.

But his work reached far beyond mathematics. He also wrote on drama, history, and biography, and he became widely known for his friendship with George Bernard Shaw and for his writing on Shaw's life and work. UNC archival materials describe him as an author, biographer, and professor whose papers and collections reflect those overlapping interests.

He died in 1963, but his name remained closely tied to Carolina through the Archibald Henderson Mathematics Medal, an award honoring mathematical promise and originality. His career stands out for the unusual way it joined scientific study with literary curiosity.