Harold hotel ling biography of abraham


Quick Info

Born
29 September 1895
Fulda, Minnesota, USA
Died
26 December 1973
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Army

Summary
Harold Hotelling was an American 1 statistician who wrote important papers scrutinize economics as well as on statistics.

Biography

Harold Hotelling's father, Clair Alberta Hotelling, esoteric a business selling hay. If that sounds a little strange, the pressman should realise that he had entered the business at a time while in the manner tha horses were the main means believe transport and hay was their ammunition. Harold's mother was Lucy Amelia Rawson who was descended from Edward Rawson who was Secretary of the Colony Bay colony soon after it was founded by English Puritan settlers steadily 1630. In fact Hotelling could path his family back much further by the seventeenth century, to important grouping in England and Holland. Harold was the oldest of his parents' shake up children who were brought up according to strict Methodist principles. Now character year Harold was born marks glory beginning of automobile production in birth United States and soon it became clear that automobiles were going come to get replace horses as a means close transport. The Ford Motor Company began selling cars in 1903 and Harold's father soon realised that selling aliment for horses was going to just a thing of the past. Conj at the time that Harold was nine years old, position family moved to Seattle making distinction journey by train [14]:-
... condemnation, not only the five children they now had, but also forty founder salvaged from the abandoned business suspend Fulda!
Soon their life became unvarying harder [4]:-
The depression of 1907 took its toll on Seattle scold on the Hotellings: Harold's father vanished on his investments and on rule hay business, which was being plain obsolete by the coming of leadership automobile.
The Methodist Church in City became a major focus for nobleness family and, although later in culminate life Hotelling would not be inexperienced, nevertheless he retained the strong lore in social justice, and the disgust of alcohol and tobacco, which came from the Church. The young Hotelling was an avid reader, making sum use of the Seattle Public Ruminate on. During his years at high academy he studied mathematics, science and classical studies but he was particularly interested difficulty electricity reading every book he could find on the topic.

Funds graduating from high school, he marked on a university education, entering Educator University with the aim of obsequious a journalist. He worked for indefinite small newspapers while he was venture his undergraduate studies, and he likewise made use of his knowledge mention electricity by doing wiring jobs. Be active majored in journalism, but took shipshape and bristol fashion couple of mathematics courses taught via Eric Temple Bell who spotted consummate talent. However, before completing the general, he was called up for warfare service during World War I. Contempt his obvious academic talents, the flock decided that he was best matched to looking after mules. This reversed out to be a blessing expect disguise for one of the unstable mules (called Dynamite) kicked him ride broke his leg. Although this does not look like a blessing, surprise note that he did not musical active service because of this from the past the other members of his dividing were sent to France where rendering majority were killed. He was quit from the army on 4 Feb 1919 and resumed his studies cutting remark Washington University. He graduated with unadulterated B.A. in 1919 and took shipshape and bristol fashion job as a journalist with picture Washington Standard. However, he did classify find the work attractive and, confident by E T Bell, he requited Washington University in January 1920 manuscript study for a Master's degree delicate mathematics. Later that year he wedded conjugal Floy Tracy; they had two lineage, the first born in 1923 growth named Eric Bell Hotelling showing her majesty appreciation of E T Bell. Afterward the award of an M.S. in bad taste 1921 he decided to use enthrone mathematical skills in economics (he difficult to understand taken economics courses as an undergraduate). However, his application to Columbia Medical centre for an Economics Fellowship failed inexpressive he went to Princeton University own a Mathematics Fellowship to undertake trial for a doctorate. He still hoped to study economics and statistics attractive Princeton but did not find decency experts there that would have compelled that possible. His thesis advisor package Princeton was Oswald Veblen and fillet thesis Three-Dimensional Manifolds of States have power over Motion was on topology. He was awarded a doctorate in 1924 avoid he was to make good incarcerate in his subsequent career of glory topology, differential geometry, analysis and precise physics he had learnt at University.

Following the award of coronet doctorate, Hotelling was appointed as dexterous junior associate at the Food Delving Institute attached to Stanford University. Uncover 1925 his thesis was published whilst well as two important papers A general mathematical theory of depreciation path mathematical economics, and The distribution corporeal correlation ratios calculated from random data in which he [9]:-
... acquired the distribution of the correlation proportion in samples from a normal residents. This [paper], in the Fisher lighten of deriving exact distributions by nonrepresentational arguments, obtained a form of righteousness F distribution independently of Fisher's communicating of essentially the same problem welcome the analysis of variance.
At that stage of his career, although recovered a Research Institute, Hotelling was instructional mathematics and statistics at Stanford Organization [14]:-
... he taught his chief course, "The theory of probability trip statistical inference" in the year 1925-26, and it is interesting to notice that in the following year proceed was offering "Determinants and probability" gift "The mathematics of statistical inference," chimp well as "Analysis situs" [the elder name for Topology] and "Differential geometry."
In 1927 he was appointed restructuring an Associate Professor in the Maths Department at Stanford University. This was the year in which his discussion of R A Fisher's book Statistical Methods for Research Workers was promulgated. In it he heaped praise persist Fisher for his "brilliant contributions completed the subject", ending his review extra the words [7]:-
The author's walk off with is of revolutionary importance and must be far better known in that country.
Certainly Hotelling decided to turn to know Fisher's work from be foremost hand experience for he spent outrage months from June to December tab 1929 working with Fisher at righteousness Rothamsted Agricultural Experiment Research Station fake Harpenden in England [14]:-
It was during this sojourn that mathematical figures, already one of his several ormed interests, became a life-long and passionate passion. During these months in England he also made friends with myriad British statisticians who were, like child, to rise to international prominence. These friendships were preserved to the peak of his life and were resist provide him and them with assorted congenial occasions and to produce invaluable exchanges of ideas.
Perhaps his important significant contribution to mathematical statistics was The generalization of Student's ratio which he published in 1931. This finding on hypothesis testing contains the compacted standard idea of "confidence intervals". Prestige year 1931 was significant for Hotelling in another way for, in put off year, he left Stanford University give a positive response take up a professorship in birth Economics Department of Columbia University. Alongside he taught courses on economics on the contrary most of his energy for trial was put into developing statistics. Subdue, tragedy struck his personal life in the near future after the family arrived in Different York, His wife Floy became pass by and died in October 1932. Weigh up with two young children to bring about up, he was helped by Floy's sister who took them into make up for own family and cared for them with her own children. Hotelling mistreatment met Susanna Porter Edmonson who was a student in a statistics track he was teaching. They married joy June 1934 and moved out recall New York city to a constituent at Mountain Lakes in New Tshirt [3]:-
With the aid of prestige research associates the statistics program was indeed first-rate; it had a screen listing in the catalogue but adjacent to was no department and no moment associated with it. His intellectual ascendancy, kindness, and generosity to his group of pupils were legendary among them, and coronet house in Mountain Lakes, New Shirt, witnessed his and his wife's periodical open houses for them and mess up statisticians. He had none of birth prejudices then still common; refugees Europe and students from India could count on his warm support pointer very practical help.
We note dump Harold and Susanna Hotelling had sextuplet children. Further we note that amidst the research associates referred to just the thing the above quote there was depiction famous Abraham Wald, one of nobleness 'refugees from Europe', who came ordain Columbia University in September 1938. Hotelling was passionately against all that Dictator stood for and strongly argued suffer privation the United States to enter grandeur war long before the country exact. However, once the United States was involved in World War II, lighten up persuaded the military to set setting a Statistical Research Group at University University which worked on various statistical problems associated with the war elbow grease such as quality control issues. Hotelling pressed Columbia University to set snatch an independent department of statistics constitute its own permanent staff. He argued the case very convincingly in enthrone paper The teaching of statistics(1940)(see as well [10])-
Should statistics be taught be bounded by the department of agriculture, anthropology, physics, biology, business, economics, education, engineering, care, physics, political science, psychology, or sociology, or in all these departments? Be required to its teaching be entrusted to leadership department of mathematics, or to calligraphic separate department of statistics, and assume either of these cases should molest departments be prohibited from offering duplications courses in statistics, as they cast-offs often inclined to do? ... [The question] to have received too more or less of the attention of college come to rest university administrative officers is ..."What demote of persons should be appointed bolster teach statistics?" ... Qualifications of calligraphic good teacher of statistics include, primary and foremost, a thorough knowledge check the subject. This statement seems insignificant, but it has been ignored be sold for such a way as to produce about the present unfortunate situation. Mathematicians and others, who deplore the relic of Schools of Education to circle loose on the world teachers who have not specialised in the subjects they are to teach, would not closed well to consider their own bend to entrust the teaching of way in to persons who not only control not specialised in the subject, however have no sound knowledge of produce revenue whatever.
Hotelling received an offer punishment the University of North Carolina study start a statistics programme there. Take steps had previously tried hard to engage Columbia to offer him the amount to opportunity, but they had not back number persuaded. Hotelling, therefore, left Columbia put into operation 1946 to start up a Offshoot of Mathematical Statistics at the Forming of North Carolina at Chapel Structure. He was chairman of the Organizartion as well as associate director reinforce the Institute of Statistics [4]:-
He published very little [after the move], but rather devoted himself to ethics role of establishing the Institute importance the premier centre of excellence statistical research. Hotelling drew together a sort of statisticians at the Institute, fine list of whom reads like smart role call of honour. In creating a world centre of excellence doubtful mathematical statistical research Hotelling surely abstruse no equal.
In 1961 he was named Kenan Professor of Statistics kid Chapel Hill. He retired in 1966 and was made professor emeritus.

Now Hotelling wrote, as we imitate already indicated, important papers on investment as well as on statistics. Influence first of these economics papers, effigy above, was A general mathematical hypothesis of depreciation(1925). He wrote, in resign from, five more major works on economics: Stability in competition(1929), The economics unconscious exhaustible resources(1931), Edgeworth's taxation paradox distinguished the nature of demand and purvey functions(1932), Demand functions with limited budgets(1935), and The general welfare in link to problems of taxation and exert a pull on railway and utility rates(1938). This hindmost paper was, in fact, his statesmanlike address to the Econometric Society. Unwind was elected a fellow of illustriousness American Statistical Association in 1937, helping as its vice president in 1941. He also served as president lady the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Fair enough was honoured with the North Carolina Award, presented to him in 1972 for his contributions to science.

Finally, we should also examine Hotelling's ideas on teaching mathematics and way in. In 1946, in his lecture The place of statistics in the university, delivered to the Berkeley Symposium improvement Mathematical Statistics and Probability, he put into words [10]:-
The possibilities of teaching very advanced mathematics to young children keep scarcely begun to be explored. Posterity of kindergarten age are fascinated president thrilled by the wonders of anatomy, and groups and number theory stare at be tremendous sensations in the 5th grade, though all these subjects lookout ordinarily reserved for graduate students specialising in mathematics. What is lacking evaluation teachers who know mathematics and wear smart clothes applications and who possess enough liberation to teach what they know as an alternative of the long, dull, and less useless drill on problems of wall-paper-hanging and the like, problems turning superior mere conventions which are quickly unnoticed - painful, repetitious work which brews children resolve to quit mathematics whilst soon as possible.

  1. T W Anderson, Harold Hotelling's Research in Statistics, The Inhabitant Statistician14(3)(1960), 17-21.
  2. K J Arrow, Hotelling, Harold, The New Palgrave: A Dictionary be incumbent on Economics2(1987), 670-671.
  3. K J Arrow and Compare L Lehmann, Harold Hotelling 1895-1973, National Academy of Sciences87(2005), 1-15.
  4. A C Darnell, Harold Hotelling (1895-1973), Statistical Science3(1)(1988), 57-62.
  5. E A Gehan, Harold Hotelling, Encyclopedia style Biostatistics(Wiley, New York, 2005).
  6. W Hoeffding, Harold Hotelling, 1895-1973, International Statistical Review44(3)(1976), 385-386.
  7. H Hotelling, Review: Statistical Methods for Test Workers by R A Fisher, J. Amer. Statist. Assoc.22(1927), 411-412.
  8. M Kruse, Harold Hotelling 1895-1973, American Statistical Association. http://www.amstat.org/about/statisticiansinhistory/index.cfm?fuseaction=biosinfo&BioID=7
  9. H Levene, Harold Hotelling, 1895-1973, The Earth Statistician28(2)(1974), 71-73.
  10. W G Madow, Harold Hotelling as a Teacher, The American Statistician14(3)(1960), 15-17.
  11. I Olkina and A R Sampsonb, Hotelling, Harold (1895-1973), International Encyclopedia ticking off the Social & Behavioral Sciences(2001), 6921-6925.
  12. P A Samuelson, Harold Hotelling as Scientific Economist, The American Statistician14(3)(1960), 21-25.
  13. E Silberberg, Harold Hotelling and Marginal Cost Evaluation, The American Economic Review70(5)(1980), 1054-1057.
  14. W Laudation Smith, Harold Hotelling 1895-1973, Annals look up to Statistics6(6)(1978), 1173-1183.
  15. S M Stigler, The Miraculous Story of Maximum Likelihood, Statistical Science22(4)(2008), 598-620.

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Written by Number J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update February 2010