Jeffery , George Barker , 1891-1957 , mathematician and educationist

George Barker Jeffery was born in 1891 and educated at Strand School, King's College London and Wilson's Grammar School, Camberwell. In 1909 he qualified as a teacher at the London Day Training College and graduated from University College London in 1911. He went on to teach, research and publish on mathematics and mathematical physics at University College, holding the post of Assistant Lecturer in Applied Mathematics from 1912 to 1921. In 1921 Jeffery became University Reader in Mathematics at University College, and in 1922 Professor of Mathematics at King's College London. In 1924 he returned to University College as Astor Professor of Pure Mathematics. In 1945 Jeffery was appointed as Director of the newly-established University of London Institute of Education where he became interested in the problems of West African education. He was also actively involved in the Secondary School Examinations Council, the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers, the National Foundation for Educational Research, the New Education Fellowship, the Advisory Council on Education in the Colonies and the Association of Teachers in Colleges and Departments of Education. Jeffery was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1926 and served as Vice-President from 1938-1940. His publications include Relativity for Physics Students (1924) and African Education (1953). He retired from the Institute in 1957.