John von Neumann and Alan Turing: A Tale of Two Offices

1. The Office on the Left

Professor John von Neumann arrived at Princeton each morning in a brand‑new Cadillac, parking outside the new Fine Hall where the Institute for Advanced Study was housed, and entered the adjacent mathematics department office with a crisp suit and a confident stride.

At just over thirty, von Neumann was already a celebrated scholar, sharing the inaugural faculty roster with Einstein, Oswald Veblen, and James Alexander.

Born to Jewish parents, he simultaneously enrolled at ETH Zurich for chemical engineering, completed mathematics assignments for the University of Berlin, and took exams at Budapest University, earning a chemistry degree and a Ph.D. under David Hilbert, who famously asked only about his tailor during the defense.

During the three years after his doctorate he published twenty‑five papers, including a quantum‑mechanics textbook that remains in print, before moving to the United States as the Nazi regime rose.

In America he adopted the name “John” and the nickname “Johnny,” while retaining the aristocratic “von” in his surname, a title purchased by his father from the Austro‑Hungarian emperor.

On weekends von Neumann hosted lavish gatherings in his spacious home, entertaining colleagues with wine and dance.

2. The Office on the Right

Opposite von Neumann’s office sat graduate student Alan Turing, a lanky Cambridge graduate who arrived in a battered second‑hand Ford after a transatlantic voyage in steerage.

Unlike von Neumann’s polished appearance, Turing favored a simple sweater and was an avid marathon runner, often organizing baseball games between “British Empire” and “Rebel Colonies” teams.

Despite his academic brilliance, Turing struggled with the social customs of 1930s America, especially the casual physical familiarity shown by a truck driver who placed a greasy hand on his shoulder.

Turing’s homosexuality, then a taboo, is recounted through his deep friendship with Christopher Morcom, a fellow student at Sherborne School whose untimely death profoundly affected Turing’s emotional life.

The article includes a heartfelt letter Turing wrote to Morcom’s mother after his friend’s death, expressing grief and a renewed dedication to research in his memory.

Following Morcom’s death, Turing pursued mathematics at Cambridge’s King’s College, channeling his sorrow into scholarly achievement, and never concealed his sexual orientation.

Caption: Turing and Christopher Morcom; the mechanical device on the left is from the Bombe code‑breaking machine, mentioned later in the article.

About This Article

This piece was written to commemorate the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth and is reproduced from a Douban post (http://www.douban.com/note/221426825/). It draws on several books and original archival material provided by alumni and the Princeton archives.

References

Dyson, George. Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe . Pantheon, 2012.

Hargittai, Istvan. The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century . Oxford University Press, 2006.

Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing: the Enigma . Walker & Company, 2000.

Macrae, Norman. John von Neumann: The Scientific Genius Who Pioneered the Modern Computer, Game Theory, Nuclear Deterrence, and Much More . AMS, 1999.

Monk, Ray. Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius . Penguin, 1991.

Ulam, S. M.. Adventures of a Mathematician . Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976.