Promoting Statistical Methods to the Members of the Econometric Society: Walter Andrew Shewhart and Statistical Quality Control

Walter Andrew Shewhart was an American physicist, regarded as a pioneer of statistical quality control (SQC)—an approach to production inspection based on statistical methods, especially sampling theory. He developed SQC in the 1920s while working at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. During this period, he was tasked with training his colleagues in the Bell System on SQC. Concurrently, he addressed broader audiences through numerous publications and lectures worldwide. In this context, he played an active role in the early activities of the Econometric Society, where he promoted SQC and, more broadly, the use of statistical methods among its members. This article examines how Shewhart envisioned the relationships between economists and engineers during the interwar period, his role as a promoter of statistical methods, and the reasons behind the Econometric Society's interest in him.