Douglas Hartree was a British mathematician and physicist, born in 1897. He is best known for his work in numerical analysis and for developing the Hartree method, which is used in quantum chemistry to approximate the wave functions of many-electron systems. His contributions significantly advanced the field of computational physics. In addition to his research, Hartree played a key role in the development of early computers. He was involved in the design of the EDSAC, one of the first electronic computers, which helped pave the way for modern computing. Hartree's work laid the foundation for future advancements in both mathematics and technology.