John Howard Redfield (June 8, 1879 – April 17, 1944) was an American mathematician, best known for discovery of what is now called Pólya enumeration theorem (PET) in 1927,[1] ten years ahead of similar but independent discovery made by George Pólya.
In reply (letter of November 19, 1927), MacMahon expresses the view that Redfield has made a valuable contribution to the subject and goes on to mention a conjecture which he himself made in his recently delivered Rouse-Ball memorial lecture.
In a letter to Redfield dated December 31, 1931, Muir also encourages him to publish his verification "without waiting for MacMahon's executors" and suggests the Journal of the London Mathematical Society as an appropriate medium.
As far as is known, Redfield did not follow up this suggestion, but the proof of MacMahon's conjecture was included in an unpublished manuscript which appears to be a sequel to the paper [3].
[4] A letter from Professor Cletus Oakley to Frank Harary, dated December 19, 1963, reads in part: Redfield's brother, Alfred, a marine biologist-oceanographer and former Associate Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, wrote (letter to E. Keith Lloyd, September 8, 1976):[2]