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Thomas Little Heath

1861 – 1940

British civil servant, mathematician and classicist

Mathematician Historian of mathematicsClassical scholar
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About Thomas Little Heath

Lived 1861 – 1940 (aged 78). Thomas Little Heath was a British mathematician, historian of mathematics, classical scholar, beamter, classical philologist and british People.

Sir Thomas Little Heath (; 5 October 1861 – 16 March 1940) was a British civil servant, mathematician, classical scholar, historian of ancient Greek mathematics, translator, and mountaineer. He was educated at Clifton College in Bristol. Heath translated works of Euclid of Alexandria, Apollonius of Perga, Aristarchus of Samos, and Archimedes of Syracuse into English.

Life Heath was born in Barnetby-le-Wold, Lincolnshire, England, being the third son of a farmer, Samuel Heath, and his wife Mary Little. He had two brothers and three sisters. He was educated at Caistor Grammar School and Clifton College before entering Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded an ScD in 1896 and became an Honorary Fellow in 1920. He got first class honours in both the classical tripos and mathematical tripos and was the twelfth wrangler in 1882. In 1884 he took the Civil Service examination and became an Assistant Secretary to the Treasury, finally becoming Joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury and auditor of the Civil List in 1913. He held the position till 1919 when he was appointed as the comptroller of the National Debt Office, from which he retired at the end of 1926 because of age limitations. He was honoured for his work in the Civil Service by being appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1903, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1909, and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1916. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1912. He was a president of the Mathematical Association in 1922-23, and a fellow of the British Academy. Aristarchus of Samos, the Ancient Copernicus Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913) Euclid in Greek, Book I, With Introduction and Notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1920) A History of Greek Mathematics, in two volumes (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1921) A Manual of Greek Mathematics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1931) Greek Astronomy (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1932) Mathematics in Aristotle (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Clifton College, Trinity College, Caistor Grammar School, Trinity College, Cambridge
Positions held
Chairperson
Employers
Exchequer, Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society; Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath; Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford; Fellow of the British Academy; Knight of the Bath; Order of the Bath; Royal Society; Royal Victorian Order
Also known as
Thomas Heath (classicist), Thomas L. Heath, Sir Thomas Little Heath

People in Thomas Little Heath's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Thomas Little Heath's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Thomas Little Heath?

British civil servant, mathematician and classicist (1861–1940)

When was Thomas Little Heath born?

Thomas Little Heath was born on 5 October 1861 in Barnetby le Wold.

When did Thomas Little Heath die?

Thomas Little Heath died on 16 March 1940 in Ashtead.

What was Thomas Little Heath's occupation?

Thomas Little Heath was a mathematician, historian of mathematics, classical scholar, beamter, classical philologist and british People.

What nationality was Thomas Little Heath?

Thomas Little Heath was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Thomas Little Heath

· Wikidata: Q925037

· DBpedia: Thomas Heath (classicist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Little Heath. https://biography.guide/thomas-little-heath/

MLA: "Thomas Little Heath." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-little-heath/.

Chicago: "Thomas Little Heath." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-little-heath/.

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