Charles L. Bouton

Charles Leonard Bouton (April 25, 1869 – February 20, 1922) was an American mathematician.

Early life and education
Charles L. Bouton was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father was an engineer. He studied in the public schools of St. Louis. He later received a Master of Science degree from Washington University in St. Louis. In 1898 he received his doctorate from Leipzig University. His Ph.D. advisor was Sophus Lie.

Teaching
He taught at the Smith Academy, Washington University and Harvard University. From 1900 to 1902 Bouton was an editor of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society.

He died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 20, 1922.

Publications
In 1902 Bouton published a solution of the game Nim. This result is today viewed as the birth of combinatorial game theory.