Walter Francis Willcox

Walter Francis Willcox

Walter Francis Willcox (March 22, 1861 – October 30, 1964) was an American statistician. He helped people understand numbers and data, which are important for knowing how countries and economies work.

Willcox was a professor of economics at Cornell University. He taught many students and shared his knowledge about how to study and use statistics.

One of his big achievements was founding the statistical research office in the U.S. Census Bureau. This office helped collect and organize important information about the United States, like population numbers and economic data, so that leaders and researchers could make better decisions.

Early life and education

Walter Francis Willcox was born in Reading, Massachusetts. He went to school at Phillips Academy in Andover and later Amherst College, where he finished in 1884. He also earned degrees from Columbia University. Later, he received an honorary degree from Amherst College in 1906.

Life

Walter Francis Willcox was a professor at Cornell University from 1891 to 1931. He began teaching philosophy and later became a professor of economics. He led important groups such as the American Statistical Association and the American Economic Association.

Willcox wrote books about marriage and family life. He helped start one of the first college courses about statistics in the United States. He also worked with the government to gather important information about the country’s people. Willcox had four children, who all went on to do important work in different fields.

Selected publications

Walter Francis Willcox wrote many important books and studies. Some of his well-known works include:

• The Divorce Problem: A Study in Statistics.pdf) (1891)
• Negro Criminality.pdf) (1899)
• Studies in the American Race Problem.pdf) (1908), with Alfred H. Stone
• The Need of Social Statistics as an Aid to the Courts.pdf) (1913)
• International Migrations, Volume II: Interpretations (Editor), New York: National Bureau of Economic Research (1931).
• Studies in American Demography, Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press (1940).
• Walter Francis Willcox papers, #14-10-504. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.