Hartley Memorial Lectures

Department of Statistics 
Texas A&M University

The H. O. Hartley Memorial Lectures were established by the Texas A&M University Department of Statistics in 1988 to honor the memory of Herman Otto Hartley. Hartley accepted an appointment as Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M in 1963, founded Texas A&M’s Institute of Statistics, and served as its director until his retirement in 1977. Hartley built his initial faculty of four into a group of 16, directed more than 30 doctoral students, and published over 75 papers during this period. He served as president of the American Statistical Association in 1979. Professor Hartley died on December 30, 1980.

Hartley was well known for his work on the foundations of sampling theory, and also made important contributions to mathematical optimization, estimation with incomplete data, estimation of variance components, and establishment of safe doses in carcinogenic experiments. Hartley collaborated with Egon Pearson to produce the classic two-volumeBiometrika Tables for Statisticians.

Hartley earned a Ph.D. degree in mathematics at Berlin University in 1934, and a Ph.D. degree in statistics under John Wishart at Cambridge University in 1940. He taught at University College, London and Iowa State College before coming to Texas A&M. Hartley was deeply committed to all phases of his profession, including education, research, and delivery of knowledge and advice to users of statistics. H. O. Hartley was not only brilliant academician, but also a warm and caring human being. His legacy continues to have a profound influence on Texas A&M students and the larger statistical community.

Lecturers have included: