James Cullen (mathematician)

{{short description|Irish mathematician}}

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Father James Cullen, S.J. (19 April 1867 – 7 December 1933) was an Irish mathematician.

He was born at 89 West Street, Drogheda, County Louth, to Michael Cullen, a baker, and Catherine McDonough.{{Cite web|url=https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/e8640c3917108|title=General Registrar's Office|last=|first=|date=|website=IrishGenealogy.ie|publisher=|access-date=19 April 2017}} Initially, he was educated privately, then by the Christian Brothers.[http://www.fermatsearch.org/history/cullenbio.html Fr James Cullen SJ - Biography] Fermat Search. He studied pure and applied mathematics at Trinity College, Dublin, then at Mungret College, Limerick, before deciding to become a Jesuit. He studied in England in Mansera House, and St. Mary's, and was ordained as a priest on 31 July 1901.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In 1905, he taught mathematics at Mount St. Mary's College in Derbyshire and published his finding of what is now known as Cullen numbers in number theory.

He ended up looking after accounts for the English province of the Jesuits, while contributing to mathematics journals.[http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/16th-december-1933/24/obituary Fr. J. Cullen SJ - Obituary] The Tablet, 16 December 1933.