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A Conversation with George A. Barnard Author(S): Morris H A Conversation with George A. Barnard Author(s): Morris H. DeGroot Source: Statistical Science, Vol. 3, No. 2 (May, 1988), pp. 196-212 Published by: Institute of Mathematical Statistics Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2245568 . Accessed: 24/09/2014 22:01 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Institute of Mathematical Statistics is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Statistical Science. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.173.127.127 on Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:01:56 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions StatisticalScience 1988, Vol. 3, No. 2, 196-212 A Conversationwith George A. Barnard MorrisH. DeGroot GeorgeA. Barnardwas bornon September23, 1915,in Walthamstow, Essex, England.He receiveda B.A. in Mathematicsfrom Cambridge Uni- versityin 1936,did graduatework in mathematicsat PrincetonUniversity from1937 to 1939,and receiveda D.Sc. fromthe Universityof Londonin 1965based on his publications.He was a MathematicalConsultant in the PlesseyCo. from1940 to 1942;a ScientificOfficer in theMinistry of Supply AdvisoryUnit from 1942 to 1945;and a facultymember in theMathematics Department,Imperial College, London, from1945 to 1966, servingas Lecturer(1945-1947), Reader in MathematicalStatistics (1948-1954) and Professorof MathematicalStatistics (1954-1966). He was Professorof Mathematicsat the Universityof Essex from1966 to 1975,and Professor of Statisticsat the Universityof Waterloofrom 1975 untilhis retirement in 1981. He servedas Presidentof the Royal StatisticalSociety in 1971- 1972,Chairman of the Instituteof Statisticiansin 1960-1962,President of the OperationalResearch Society in 1962-1964and Presidentof the Insti- tute of Mathematicsand Its Applicationsin 1970-1971.He has been awardedGold Medals fromthe Royal StatisticalSociety and the Institute ofMathematics and Its Applications,and in 1987was namedan Honorary Fellowof the Institute of Statisticians. He has receivedhonorary doctorates fromthe University of Waterloo and the OpenUniversity. The followingconversation took place duringthe ThirdValencia Inter- nationalMeeting on BayesianStatistics in Altea,Spain, in June1987. "IF YOU'VE DONE THAT,YOU'LL KNOW country.The viewwas thatour generation might well STATISTICS" be preparedto fightfor other causes, but notfor that one. DeGroot: How didyou originally get interested in DeGroot: Was this alreadyresponding to Hitler statistics? cominginto power? Barnard: Well, I was interestedin statisticsat Barnard: Not really.There was troublebrewing school,partly from a philosophicalpoint of viewbut in Germany,it was visible,but Hitlerreally came to also froma politicalpoint of view.In 1932 I won an powerin 1933,the followingyear. However,it was exhibition,that is, a juniorscholarship, in mathemat- associatedwith that. The feelinggrew up that one icsto St. John'sCollege, Cambridge, and whilewaiting mighthave to fightagainst fascism but one wasn't to go up to Cambridgein October1933, I did a survey goingto be fightingjust forking and country.Statis- among the sixth-formersin my school, the senior ticallywhat was interestingto me was whetherthe peoplein school,to discoverwhat their political opin- viewsof people were influencedby the newspapers ions wereand howthey arrived at them. and if so, whetherthey absorbed those views directly DeGroot: You wereinterested in politicseven at fromthe politicalend of the paper or fromjust the thispoint? atmosphere.So I had a questionin the surveyas to Barnard: I was interestedin politicsat school, whattheir opinions were and whatthe opinions of the yes. I thinkit's probablypast historynow, and quite newspaperwere, and whether they first read the sports forgotten,but at thattime there was a famousreso- pages or whetherthey first read the politicalpages. lutionof the OxfordUnion whichsaid, "This house And I was thenstruck because I wantedto establish refusesto fightfor king and country."That was a whetherthe relationship was strongerif they first read greatstir at thetime. The sameresolution was carried thesports pages or weaker. I gotin touchwith Wilfred all overEngland by studentgroups and schoolboys, Stevens,who later was one ofthe coauthors of Fisher and we did it in my school. The idea was that the and Yates' Tables.He was workingwith Fisher at the 1914-1918.War had been foughtand was a bloody timeand he helpedme do thepartial correlations. slaughter,and it was done in the name of kingand DeGroot: Wherewas he and wherewere you? 196 This content downloaded from 128.173.127.127 on Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:01:56 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions CONVERSATION WITH GEORGE A. BARNARD 197 X "'S q . ..: f i . .~~~ ~ ~ :: C E : ..~Gorg Banad 17.. Sr GeorgeBarnard, 1979. Barnard: He hadjust joined Fisher, who had gone President.I rememberat that date, I said that I to UniversityCollege London fromRothamsted. By reckonedI hadjust aboutfinished. I had actuallyjust thistime, when I was analyzingthe data, I had already managedto decipherhow he'd gotthe formulae about goneto Cambridge.I had triedto findbooks in the thecomponents of x 2. At theback of the book, there's universitylibrary about statistics with no success.The this stuffabout splittingx2 into componentsand I bookby H. L. Rietzwas theonly one thatI couldfind. had seen a reasonablyneat way of doingthat. Of I used to go to UniversityCollege to see Wilfred course,I didn'tsee any moreof himafter 1933 until Stevensand thatwas howI firstmet Fisher. It must towardthe end of the war. In factI didn'tsee him have been around Christmastime, 1933. I said to then,I onlyhad correspondencewith him. Stevensthat I had triedto read up statisticsin the DeGroot: Whathappened to yoursurvey? Did you universitylibrary and couldn'tfind anything on it. succeedin analyzingit? And he said, "Oh, you'dbetter come and see the old Barnard: Yes, with a lot of help fromWilfred man."And so he tookme in to see Fisher.Fisher took Stevens.Wilfred was a verycareful fellow who, if he downoff the shelf a copyof his StatisticalMethods for tooksomething up, he did it extremelywell. He pro- Research Workersand he said, "Do you see that duced lots of pie chartsand so on to illustratethe book?"And I nodded.I was veryjunior. The curious interpretationof the data. I'm sorryto say that I thingwas, Fisher had redhair at thattime, but I don't forgetwhat the interpretationwas. recallany red hair.All I rememberwas that he was wearingboots because thatwas whereI was looking "AMERICANMATHEMATICS WAS TOTALLY all the time.[Laughs] And he said, "You'rea mathe- DIFFERENTFROM BRITISH MATHEMATICS" matician."And I said, "Well,I hope to becomeone." And he said, "Well,if you read thisbook, you'll find DeGroot: But that led you to continuein statis- thereare a lot of statementsin it that are made tics? withoutproof. You're a mathematician,you should be Barnard: Well, I sortof keptan eye on it, but I able to provethem for yourself. And if you'vedone reallywas moreinterested in philosophyand logicand that,you'll know statistics." I thinkhe wasjust about thefoundations of mathematics as an undergraduate. right. In myfirst term at CambridgeI went to Wittgenstein's DeGroot: [Laughs]Did youdo that? lecturesand theyimpressed me verymuch. In fact, Barnard: Eventually,yes. Fisher became Presi- wheneverI had an option,I alwaystook the founda- dentof the Royal StatisticalSociety in 1952 and the tionsof mathematicsor basic real variablesand such customis that the Presidentannounces four people things.There was a fairbit goingon at that time whowill serve as his Vice Presidents.Quite out of the because Max Newman,who was my tutorat Cam- blue, I heard my name announcedas being a Vice bridge,was also tutorto Alan Turing.Turing was at This content downloaded from 128.173.127.127 on Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:01:56 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 198 STATISTICAL SCIENCE that time in factworking on the decisionproblem, insteadof the ordinarynumber field. That sort of demonstratingthe impossibility of the solutionof the thing is totallydifferent from what Baker talked decision problem,and I was followingthat very about.So I reallyhad to learnthat sort of mathematics actively.Newman had reallyintroduced me to that fromscratch, and that took me the best part of the area,and thatwas whatI was keenon. firstyear I was there.Then in the secondyear, I did DeGroot: Were you and Turingcontemporaries go to some lecturesby AlonzoChurch, but he was a there? verydifficult person to approach.I used to go and Barnard: No, he was a yearahead ofme. knockon his doorand hearhim talking to somebody, DeGroot: How didyou revive your interest in sta- so I wouldgo away. I did this forquite a period.It tisticsthen? wasn'tuntil about halfway throughthe yearthat I Barnard: Well, I was still interested,and in my discoveredthat the person he was talkingto was last yearat CambridgeI did go to Wishart'scourse. himself. Wishartgave a coursein statisticsand I had started Turingwas thereat the same time,and we sortof goingto it,but it was so bad thatI gaveit up. [Laughs] saw each othersocially, Church, Turing and I. We He nevergot
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