Walter Theodore Federer (August 23, 1915 - April 14, 2008) was an Americanstatistician and biometrician. For most of his professional career he was professor of Biological Statistics in theCollege of Agricultural and Life Sciences atCornell University, where he founded and led the Biometrics Unit.
Federer was born and raised inCheyenne, Wyoming, where his parents werehomesteaders. Before entering university, he was a professionalrodeo rider.[1] He received a B.S. inagronomy fromColorado State University. He went on to earn an M.Sc. inplant breeding from Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (nowKansas State University) in 1941, followed by a Ph.D. inmathematical statistics from Iowa State College (nowIowa State University) in 1948.[1][2][3] His Ph.D. thesis topic wasEvaluation of Variance Components from a Group of Experiments with Multiple Classifications, written under the tutelage ofW. G. Cochran andAlexander M. Mood.[4][5]
Federer's early career included roles as Associate Geneticist on the Guayule Research Project for theUnited States Department of Agriculture inSalinas, California, and as Associate Statistician with theAgricultural Marketing Service inAmes, Iowa, while completing his doctoral studies.[4]
He is best known for his long and influential career at Cornell University, where he served as Professor of Biological Statistics in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He joined the department in 1948 after completing his Ph.D. studies and stayed for 60 years. Federer founded the Biometrics Unit in the Department of Plant Breeding and was chair of the unit for 29 years. In 1978, he was awarded theLiberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Statistics Chair. After retiring in 1986, he tookemeritus professor status and continued teaching, consulting and researching for another 22 years. Federer was an elected fellow of theAmerican Statistical Association, theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, theRoyal Statistical Society, and theInstitute of Mathematical Statistics. He was an elected member of theInternational Statistical Institute. Among many services to his profession, Federer was president of the Eastern North American Region (ENAR) of theInternational Biometric Society and was chairman and executive secretary of theCommittee of Presidents of Statistical Societies.[1][2][3]
Federer was a strong advocate of the synergy between research, teaching and consulting in academia[4] and his own work concentrated onexperiment and treatment design,analysis of variance, and the application of statistical methodology.[6] After he became emeritus professor, at the age of 70, he taught himself how to use modern computers, programming inGauss,Mathematica andSAS.[7]
Throughout his career he published about 900 articles and nine textbooks. His first book,Experimental Design: Theory and Application, "...became a major scholarly contribution and served as a day-to-day tool of statistical practice for innumerable researchers in agriculture and other fields."[2][8]
Federer was twice married. In 1945 he married his first wife, Lillian Elizabeth Vasey, with whom he adopted a son. They remained married until her death in 1978. Federer married Edna Hammond Morusty in 1982; she had three daughters from a previous marriage.[4]
Federer died on April 14, 2008, inIthaca, New York, at the age of 92.[2][3]
