Researching William Story

William was born in Boston to Isaac Marion Story (1818-1901) and Elizabeth Bowen Woodberry (1817-1888). He attended high school in Somerville, Massachusetts, and entered Harvard University in the fall of 1867. He graduated with honors in mathematics and began graduate study in Germany in September 1871. In Berlin he attended lectures of Weierstrass, Ernst Kummer, Helmholtz and Dove. In Leipzig he heard Karl Neumann, Bruhns, Mayer, Van der Müll, and Engelmann. He earned a Ph.D. in Leipzig in 1875 with a dissertation "On the algebraic relations existing between the polars of a binary quantic."

W.E. Story began his teaching career at Harvard as a tutor. With the establishment of Johns Hopkins University in 1876, Story was recruited by Daniel Coit Gilman as an Associate. J. J. Sylvester led the program in mathematics. Until 1879, Story was the only other instructor in mathematics besides Sylvester. Story was instrumental in starting two publication projects: The Johns Hopkins University Circulars was a student paper detailing classes and attendees. American Journal of Mathematics was also started as a joint effort of Sylvester and Story, but soon Story was replaced by Thomas Craig as managing editor. In 1893 Story became an associate professor; he taught courses on quaternions, elliptic functions, invariant theory, mathematical astronomy and mathematical elasticity. Story also introduced introductory courses for graduate students, surveying the entire field. The monthly Mathematical Seminary became a weekly mathematical society, divided into three parts; Story oversaw the section on geometry and quaternions.

When Clark University was established in 1889, President G. Stanley Hall hired Oskar Bolza and Story to lead the mathematics department. Henry Taber was hired as docent, he had studied with Story at Johns Hopkins. Solomon Lefschetz and other mathematicians contributed to making Clark the leading site for mathematics in the USA until 1892 when University of Chicago eclipsed it.

Clark University ceased its graduate program in 1919 and Story retired in 1921.

Story was an officer in the 3rd (Militia) battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel in command of the battalion on 24 October 1888. He later received the honorary rank of colonel. Following heavy British losses in the early part of the Second Boer War in 1899, many of the militia battalions were embodied for active service, including the 3rd battalion, Highland Light, with Story in command. The battalion served throughout the war, and return home on the SS Doune Castle in September 1902, after the war had ended earlier that year.

Story was a president of the Notts County Cricket Club and a racehorse owner. He was a Justice of the Peace, and a Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire from 27 April 1937.