John Napier was a Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms in the late 16th century, greatly simplifying calculations and enabling the development of calculus. He published his ideas and tables of logarithms in his work Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio in 1614, revolutionizing mathematics. As a wealthy Scottish landowner, Napier made important contributions to mathematics through his invention of logarithms despite having no formal university education.