George W. Snedecor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1881-10-20)October 20, 1881 |
| Died | February 15, 1974(1974-02-15) (aged 92) |
| Education | University of Alabama University of Michigan |
| Known for | Snedecor'sF-distribution |
| Awards | Wilks Memorial Award (1970) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Statistics,biometrics |
| Institutions | Iowa State University |
| Doctoral students | Gertrude Mary Cox |
George Waddel Snedecor (October 20, 1881 – February 15, 1974) was an Americanmathematician andstatistician. He contributed to the development ofanalysis of variance,data analysis,experimental design, and statistical methodology.Snedecor'sF-distribution and theGeorge W. Snedecor Award of theAmerican Statistical Association are named for him.
Born inMemphis, Tennessee, into a Presbyterian family which was prominent socially and involved with southern Democratic politics, Snedecor grew up inFlorida andAlabama where his lawyer father relocated himself, wife and children in order to fulfill a personal and radical religious calling to minister to evangelize and educate the poor.[1][unreliable source?] George was the son of James G. Snedecor and Emily Alston Estes (daughter of Memphis lawyer Bedford Mitchell Estes); he was nephew ofWilliam J. Dodd, an architect, and his wife Ione Estes Dodd.
Snedecor studied mathematics and physics atAuburn University andUniversity of Alabama, where he graduated with a BS in 1905. After teaching jobs at Selma Military Academy andAustin College inSherman, Texas, he continued his study in physics at theUniversity of Michigan, where he received an MSc in 1913.[2]
Snedecor relocated toIowa State University in 1913, where he joined the Department of Mathematics and began teaching courses with statistical content the next year. The courses were of great interest to graduate students and research workers in agriculture as Snedecor's courses emphasized the importance of careful experimental design and the application of statistical methods.[3] In 1933, Professor George Snedecor became the first Director of the Statistical Laboratory. It later became known as the Department of Statistics in 1947.[4]
He was a pioneer of modern applied statistics. His 1938 textbookStatistical Methods[5] became an essential resource: "In the 1970s, a review of citations in published scientific articles from all areas of science showed that Snedecor'sStatistical Methods was the most frequently cited book."[6]
Snedecor worked for the statistics department ofFoster's Group (the Australian beer company) from 1957 to 1963. He was involved with the elaboration of all production data.
The "F" ofSnedecor's F distribution is named in honor of SirRonald Fisher.
Snedecor was awarded honorary doctorates of science byNorth Carolina State University in 1956 andIowa State University in 1958.
Snedecor Hall, atIowa State University, is the home of the Statistics Department. It was constructed in 1939. At Iowa State, he was an early user ofJohn Vincent Atanasoff'sAtanasoff–Berry computer (perhaps the first user of an electronic digital computer for real world production mathematics problem solutions).[7]
