ford’s first degree, bachelor of pedagogy, was from a normal school in missouri. he then attended missouri state university, graduating with a b. a. in 1911. for graduate work he went to university of missouri, columbia and harvard university in 1912 and 13. ford was then called to scotland, where in 1914 he was instructor of mathematics at university of edinburgh. games of chess on campus gave ford some social contact and reputation. in 1915 ford published "an introduction to the theory of automorphic functions" as edinburgh mathematical tract # 6.