Leopold Vietoris

Leopold Vietoris (4 June 1891 – 9 April 2002) was an Austrian mathematician and a World War I veteran. He was born in Radkersburg and died in Innsbruck.

He was known for his contributions to topology—notably the Mayer-Vietoris sequence—and other fields of mathematics, his interest in mathematical history and for being a keen alpinist. Vietoris attended the University of Vienna, where he earned his Ph.D in 1920.

He studied mathematics and geometry at the Technical University in Vienna. Vietoris was drafted in 1914 in World War I and was wounded in September that same year. On 4 November 1918, one week before the Armistice of Villa Giusti, he became an Italianprisoner of war. In autumn 1928 he married his first wife Klara Riccabona, who later died while giving birth to their sixth daughter. In 1936 he married Klara's sister, Maria Riccabona.

With his wife Maria Josefa Vincentia, born von Riccabona zu Reichenfels (18 July 1901 – 24 March 2002), dying at age 100, they became one of the eldest couples of the world, having the seventh-highest aggregate age of a married couple (total combined age). Their combined age at the end of their marriage, 211 years and 177 days, is the second highest on record. Vietoris died two weeks after her death.

Vietoris was survived by his six daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.

Vietoris remained scientifically active in his later years, even writing one paper on trigonometric sums at the age of 103.

Vietoris lived to be 110 years and 309 days old, and became the oldest verified Austrian man ever.