How did James Thomson influence William Thomson’s education in mathematics?

James Thomson, a textbook writer and professor of mathematics, played a foundational role in his son William’s education. He personally taught William the most recent mathematical developments, many of which had not yet been integrated into the standard British university curriculum at the time.1

This instruction was part of an unusually close relationship between the dominant father and his son, which served to cultivate William’s extraordinary intellectual abilities. Beyond his early home education, James Thomson also actively supported his son's professional advancement; in 1846, he organized a strategic campaign to secure William’s appointment to the chair of natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow, a position William held for the remainder of his career.1