A Brief History of the Statistics Department of the University of California at Berkeley

Abstract

The early history of our department was dominated by Jerzy Neyman , while the next phase was largely in the hands of Neyman's students, with Erich Lehmann ) being a central, longlived and much-loved member of this group. We are very fortunate in having the biography Neyman -From Life written by Constance Reid , and Erich's Reminiscences of a Statistician: The Company I Kept and other historical material 1 documenting the founding and growth of the department, and the people in it. In what follows we will draw heavily on these sources, describing what seems to us a remarkable success story: one person starting 2 "a cell of statistical research and teaching…not being hampered by any existing traditions and routines," and seeing that cell grow rapidly into a major force in academic statistics worldwide. That it has remained so for (at least) the half-century after its founding is a testament to the strength of Neyman's model for a department of statistics.