Deming: Biography
Biography
W. Edwards Deming
William Edwards Deming was born in Sioux City, Iowa on 14 October
1900 to William Albert Deming and Pluma Irene Edwards.
As an adult, he used the name W. Edwards Deming.
His brother, Robert Edwards was born on 11 May 1902; his sister,
Elizabeth Marie, later Elizabeth Deming Hood was born on 21 January
1909.
The family lived at 121 Bluff Street in Sioux City. In 1904, they
moved to the Edwards farm located in Polk City, between Ames and Des
Moines. The farm was owned by Pluma’s father, Henry Coffin Edwards
(Pluma’s mother, Elizabeth Grant, died when Pluma was young).
In an effort to encourage settlement in the West, the United States
government granted parcels of land (usually 40 or 80 acres) to
citizens who agreed to settle, farm or develop the land.
William Albert Deming filed on 40 acres in Camp Coulter, later named
Powell, Wyoming. The family moved to Wyoming in 1907. They rented
a house in Cody until they could build on their own land. William
Albert learned that his parcel was poor, useless for farming.
Their first dwelling was a shelter, rectangular in shape (like a
railroad box car), covered with tar paper, often referred to as a
tar paper shack. Water was pumped from a well. There was little
protection from the harsh weather. The family was often cold,
hungry and in debt.
Eighty years later, on a visit to Powell, Dr. Deming learned that
the 40 acres was still referred to as the Deming Addition.
Pluma Irene and William Albert Deming were well-educated and
emphasized the importance of education to their children. Pluma had
studied in San Francisco and was a musician. William Albert had
studied mathematics and law. Young Ed Deming attended school in
Powell and held odd jobs to help support the family.
In 1917, he enrolled in the University of Wyoming at Laramie. In
1921 he graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering. In 1925,
he received an M.S. from the University of Colorado and in 1928, a
Ph.D. from Yale University. Both graduate degrees were in
mathematics and mathematical physics.
Dr. Deming married Agnes Bell in 1922 in Wyoming. Agnes and Ed had
a daughter, Dorothy. Agnes died in 1930. Dr. Deming married Lola
Elizabeth Shupe in 1932. They had two daughters, Diana and Linda.
Dorothy died in 1984.
Dr. Deming studied music theory, played several instruments and
composed two masses, several canticles and an easily sung version of
the Star Spangled Banner.
International Activities
Statistician, Allied Mission to Observe the Greek Elections,
January-April 1946; July-October 1946 Consultant in sampling to the
Government of India, January and February 1947; December 1951; March
1971
Delegate from the A.A.A.S. to the Indian Science Congress, New
Delhi, January 1947
Adviser in sampling techniques to the Supreme Command of the Allied
Powers, Tokyo, 1947 and 1950
Teacher and consultant to Japanese industry, through the Union of
Japanese Scientists and Engineers 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1960, 1965
Member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling,
1947-52
Consultant to the Census of Mexico, to the Bank of Mexico, and to
the Ministry of Economy, 1954, 1955
Consultant., Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden, 1953
Consultant to the Central Statistical Office of Turkey, 1959-1962
Lecturer, London School of Economics, March 1964
Lecturer, Institut de Statistique de l'Universite de Paris, March
1964
Consultant to the China Productivity Center, Taiwan, 1970, 1971
Lecturer in Santiago, Córdoba (Argentina), and Buenos Aires, under
the auspices of the Inter American Statistical Institute, 1971.
Honors
Taylor Key award, American Management Association, 1983
The Deming prize was instituted by the Union of Japanese Scientists
and Engineers and is awarded each year in Japan to a statistician
for contributions to statistical theory. The Deming prize for
application is awarded to a company for improved use of statistical
theory in organization, consumer research, design of product and
production.
Recipient of the Second Order Medal of the Sacred Treasure, from the
Emperor of Japan, 1960, for improvement of quality and of Japanese
economy, through the statistical control of quality.
Recipient of the Shewhart Medal for 1955, from the American Society
for Quality Control.
Elected in 1972 most distinguished graduate from the University of
Wyoming.
Elected in 1983 to the National Academy of Engineering.
Inducted into the Science and Technology Hall of Fame, Dayton, 1986.
In 1980, the Metropolitan section of the American Society for
Quality Control established the annual Deming Medal for the
improvement of quality and productivity.
Recipient of the Samuel S. Wilks Award from the American Statistical
Association in 1983.
Recipient of the Distinguished Career in Science award from the
National Academy of Sciences in 1988.
Recipient of the National Medal of Technology from President Reagan
in 1987.
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