Dresher came to the
United States in 1923. He obtained his B.S. from
Lehigh University in 1933 and went on to complete his Ph.D. at
Yale University in 1937 under the supervision of
Øystein Ore. His dissertation was titled "Multi-Groups: A Generalisation of the Notion of Group." Dresher's career began as instructor of mathematics at
Michigan State College from 1938 to 1941, he then served as statistician for the
War Production Board from 1941 to 1944, and worked as a mathematical physicist for the
National Defense Research Committee from 1944 to 1946 Dresher became a professor of mathematics at the
Catholic University of America from 1946 to 1947, before joining
RAND in 1948 as a research mathematician. Dresher was the author of several RAND research papers on game theory, and his widely acclaimed book
The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications (originally published in 1961 as
Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications) continues to be studied today. Dresher's research has been referenced and discussed in a variety of published books, including ''Prisoner's Dilemma
by William Poundstone and A Beautiful Mind'' by
Sylvia Nasar. == Family ==