Andrew Hacker is an American political scientist and public intellectual. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at Queens College in New York. He did his undergraduate work at Amherst College. This was followed by graduate work at Oxford University, University of Michigan, and Princeton University where he received his PhD degree. Hacker taught at Cornell before taking his current position at Queens. His most recent book, Higher Education? was written in collaboration with Claudia Dreifus, his domestic partner. Professor Hacker is a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books. In his articles he has questioned whether mathematics is necessary, claiming "Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent" while attracting criticism. The counterpoint to Hacker's thinking, a reduction in subjects such as algebra wouldy be disastrous and wrong, leaving many Americans ill-prepared to compete in a global marketplace and actually resulting in greater inequality since it would preclude some who would eventually succeed in the technical fields 

January 1st, 1929 in (Age 96)