Melvin Dresher

Melvin Dresher, early 1940s

Melvin Dresher (1911–1992) was a Polish-born American mathematician, notable for developing, with Merrill Flood, the game theoretical model of cooperation and conflict known as the Prisoner's Dilemma while at RAND in 1950 (Albert W. Tucker gave the game its prison-sentence interpretation, and thus the name by which it is known today).

Dresher came to the United States in 1923. He obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1937; the title of his dissertation was "Multi-Groups: A Generalisation of the Notion of Group." He was the author of numerous RAND research papers on game theory, and his widely acclaimed The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications (originally published in 1961 as Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications) continues to be read today.

The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications by Melvin Dresher

Dresher's research has been referred to and discussed in a variety of published books, including Prisoner's Dilemma by William Poundstone and A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar.

Obituaries

• An obituary appeared in the July 2, 1992 issue of the Palisadian-Post newspaper (Pacific Palisades, California).
• "In Remembrance" appeared in the July 9, 1992 issue of RAND Items (a biweekly publication for employees of RAND).

Persondata
Name	Dresher, Melvin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1911
Place of birth
Date of death	1992
Place of death