Statistical Societies in the United States in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

This article traces various attempts to establish statistical societies the United States during the nineteenth century. This phase of the history of American statistics has not yet been developed. The winning of our independence 1783 brought forth many problems, and the paucity of statistical information added to the difficulty of solving them objectively. There was a growing recognition of the need for an inventory of our resources, both human and material, and for the recording of our social and economic performance. Consequently a number of statistical almanacs or yearbooks gradually appeared. Much more slowly American statistical societies developed. Before tracing the development of American statistical societies, it is desirable to review very briefly attempts to form statistical societies England during the early part of the nineteenth century. Westergaard, the fam-ous professor of statistics the University of Copenhagen, says that in the history of statistics the two decades 1830-1849 can justly claim the character of enthusiasm. The generalization seems more accurate for Western Europe than for the United States. In England the British Association for the Advancement of Science was established 1831, and 1833 it set up a statistical section. The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society offered prizes for statistical essays, and the British Board of Trade established a statistical department 1833. The Manchester Statistical Society, which claims to be the oldest statistical society the world, was founded September 3, 1833. Six months later, on March 15, 1834, the Statistical Society of London, was organized the rooms of the Horticultural Society. This organization changed its name to the Royal Statistical Society 1885. Many English cities organized statistical societies during this decade but most enjoyed only a short life. The Glasgow Statistical Society was founded on February 22, 1836. The Bristol Statistical Society was formed November 1836. The Ulster Statistical Society, an offshoot of the Belfast Natural History Society, was established on November 23, 1837. The Liverpool Statistical Society was organized on January 1, 1838, and the Leeds Statistical Society was started the same year. In Scotland, several societies were started the cities such as Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but they too were short-lived. The Dublin Statistical Society known after 1862 as the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland, was founded November 23, 1847 at the Royal Irish Academy. No wonder Westergaard remarked: Everybody seemed to have got statistics on the brain! (1)