Valentine Bargmann Papers

Bargmann, V. (Valentine) (1908-1989)

Valentine Bargmann (1908-1989) was born in Berlin, Germany, on April 8, 1908. He began studying at the University of Berlin but moved to Zurich in order to escape Nazi oppression. He completed his doctorate at the University of Zurich in 1936. Wishing to flee Europe and the growing spectre of Nazism, Bargmann received help from another German refugee, Albert Einstein, who sponsored his move to the United States. Bargmann arrived at Princeton University in 1937 and began working as Einstein's assistant at the Institute for Advanced Study. In 1943, Bargmann began working with John von Neumann, a member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, on war-related research projects. His collaboration with von Neumann ultimately led to advances in computer technology. In 1946, Bargmann was appointed visiting lecturer in physics at Princeton. He joined the Princeton faculty as an associate professor of mathematical physics in 1948 and was promoted to full professor in 1957. As a professor, Bargmann wrote often about the quantum theory and the theory of relativity. He published in many of the leading mathematics and physics journals of the time. He eventually retired from teaching in 1976. After his retirement, he was awarded both the Wigner Medal and the Max Plank Medal for his contributions to group theory and quantum physics. One of the last projects Bargmann worked on was contributing to the planning and editing of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein.

Princeton University

The College of New Jersey was initially chartered in 1746. The first classes were held in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the parsonage of the president, the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Upon his death, the College moved to Newark, New Jersey, and was headed by the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr. Since 1756, the College has been located in Princeton, New Jersey. For the first fifty years, nearly all College operations took place within Nassau Hall. Fires, fundraising difficulties, low student enrollment, and the Civil War challenged the vitality of the College in the early and middle nineteenth century, but the College grew vigorously under the leadership of President James McCosh, and it was renamed Princeton University in 1896. The Graduate School was established in 1900, although a limited graduate program had existed since the 1870s. Princeton enthusiastically supported the country (living up to its informal motto, "Princeton in the Nation's Service") during the First and Second World Wars, offering the expertise of faculty and campus space for training, as well as facilitating the early graduation of students so they could enlist. The post-World War II years brought dramatic changes to Princeton. The size and strength of the University's facilities and academic programs—especially for the applied sciences and public policy—were increased dramatically. Under President Robert Goheen, Princeton began to admit minority students in greater numbers in the 1960s and admitted women undergraduates in 1969. Today, Princeton is widely regarded as one of the top universities in the world.

Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)

Albert Einstein was engaged by Kaizosha, the Japanese publishing house, to present a series of scientific and popular lectures on relativity. From Nov. 17, 1922, to Dec. 29, 1922, Einstein toured Japan, giving these lectures and performing official engagements. His trip at the time was described as a "triumphal progress."

The Valentine Bargmann Papers consists of personal and professional correspondence, personal papers, awards, medals, lectures notes, drafts and published writing, and documents pertaining to the Einstein Papers Project. The bulk of the writings consists of notebooks and lectures notes containing some text but mainly pages of mathematical equations. Letters from family and friends in Germany constitute much of the early correspondence. Letters dating from the period of Bargmann's tenure as a professor at Princeton primarily come from colleagues and friends, while correspondence dated after 1976, when he became Professor Emeritus, often relates to awards and honors he received. Some of Bargmann's personal papers and effects, including his birth certificate, naturalization papers, and medals, are also included. In addition, the collection contains a sizable number of reprints of Bargmann's essays, plus several Albert Einstein reprints.

This collection also contains documents collected by Bargmann during the course of his work on the editorial advisory board of the Einstein Papers Project. Included here are annotated typescripts of the first two volumes of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, correspondence between the board members, and copies of Einstein-related documents that were likely selected for inclusion in the project.

Material from Valentine Bargmann's faculty file provided information used in the biography.

No accruals are expected.

The bulk of the papers was a gift from Christine Fellbaum in September of 1989. The "Advanced Quantum Mechanics" lectures were given by Frank Stern in 1992.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Casey Babcock in September 2007. Finding aid written by Casey Babcock on September 28, 2007.

Rare Books and Special Collections has additional material (1913-1975, bulk 1930-1955) on Albert Einstein and the Institute for Advanced Study in the Albert Einstein Collection (C1022). For additional material on Valentine Bargmann, see the Princeton Mathematics Department in the 1930s: An Oral History Project. Mudd Manuscript Library has made transcripts of the oral histories availible on-line at: http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd/finding_aids/mathoral/math.html.

No appraisal information is available.

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Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Valentine Bargmann Papers, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Publisher

Manuscripts Division

Sponsor

These papers were processed with a general operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Finding aids author

Casey Babcock

Date

2007

Creator

Bargmann, V. (Valentine) (1908-1989)

Subject

Physicists -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century -- Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc

Physics -- Study and teaching -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century

People

Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)

Organization

Einstein Papers Project

Institute for advanced study Princeton, N.J.

Princeton University

Princeton University. Dept. of Physics

Language

English

French

German

Russian

Form

Correspondence -- 20th century

lecture notes -- 20th century

Notebooks -- 20th century