George Henry Wood (statistician)
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George Henry Wood (1874-1945) was a labour
statistician A statistician is a person who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, and statisticians may wor ...
, who was a student of and worked with
Arthur Bowley Sir Arthur Lyon Bowley, FBA (6 November 1869 – 21 January 1957) was an English statistician and economist who worked on economic statistics and pioneered the use of sampling techniques in social surveys. Early life Bowley's father, James Wil ...
. Born in Bristol, he initially trained as an engineer. He was subsequently appointed to the statistical staff of the Labour Department of the Board of Trade. He resigned his post at the Labour Department in early 1908 to become Secretary for the Huddersfield and District Woollen Manufacturers and Spinners Association. In 1917 he became secretary to the Woolen and Worsted Trades Federation, a position he held until his death on 11 July 1945. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he worked in the War Office on statistical matters relating to wool; he acted as chief statistical officer to Wool Control in the Ministry of Supply in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Bowley, A.L., and E. C. R. "George Henry Wood." Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 108, no. 3/4 (1945): 485-87. Accessed at https://www.jstor.org/stable/2981307 In 1910 he was awarded the
Guy Medal The Guy Medals are awarded by the Royal Statistical Society in three categories; Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Silver and Bronze medals are awarded annually. The Gold Medal was awarded every three years between 1987 and 2011, but is awarded biennia ...
in Silver of the
Royal Statistical Society The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good. ...
, and was a member of its council from 1926 - 1929. Wood was a free thinker and was active in a variety of local radical movements in
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
, including the
Fabians The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fab ...
. He collected wage statistics over a broad field and published much of his collected material. "E.C.R(hodes)." said in Wood's obituary that "It is impossible, within the limits of a short obituary notice, to do justice to all the varied aspects of Wood's other activities or to his colourful personality. He had a wide range of interests, including the arts, music and (above all) cricket. He had made a close study of the history, and achieved marked success in the art and craft, of wood engraving; making and shaping his own blocks, engraving them, and printing from them with his own press. He had a special enthusiasm for cricket, and had an amazing knowledge of the performances of the more prominent players of this and past generations. Those who were present when he entertained a few Fellows of the Society and leading cricketers after reading his paper on cricket scores in November 1944, will recall with delight the informal discussion which followed, and his exchange of opinions and reminiscences with a distinguished ex-captain of All-England test teams and other first-class cricketers. Wood could be a doughty controversialist, when occasion arose, and his vehement defence of positions to the last ditch was sometimes liable to rouse antagonisms in the minds of those who were only slightly acquainted with him. Those who were privileged to enjoy his friendship, however, will long remember his kindly and generous nature, his staunch loyalty to colleagues and friends, and his invariable readiness to help a lame dog over the stile." His extensive library, first loaned to Huddersfield Technical College in c.1925, includes manuscript wages material, monographs, pamphlets, government reports and periodicals. The subjects covered include economic and social history, education, health, housing and women's history. His work is archived at Heritage Quay at the
University of Huddersfield , mottoeng = Thus not for you alone , established = 1825 – Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute1992 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £2.47 million (2015) , chancellor = George W. Buckley , vice_chancel ...
. His hobbies included the arts, music and cricket. He studied the history and practical craft of wood engraving, using his own press. His interest in cricket led him to read a paper on cricket scores to the Royal Statistical Society in November 1944


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, George Henry 1874 births 1945 deaths English statisticians