Gosset Letters

The letters are mostly between Gosset (known as 'Student') and Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890-1962) who became Professor of Eugenics at University College London. Letters from other scientists are interleaved where they bear on the correspondence.

Collection of letters, mostly between Gosset and Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890-1962), who became Professor of Eugenics at University College London. Letters from other scientists are interleaved where they bear on the correspondence. The papers were received in July 1980 from Sir R. A. Fisher via Laurence McMullen, Gosset's successor in the Guinness Brewery, and via E.S. Pearson. They were arranged by Sir R.A. Fisher and the red numbers on the letters are Fisher's numbering. They are in chronological order. Apparently one letter of 19th August 1932 is missing. Its absence had been noted.

William Sealy Gosset was born at Canterbury on 13th June 1876, the eldest son of Colonel Frederic Gosset R.E. and Agnes Sealy Gosset. He studied at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he obtained a first class in mathematical moderations in 1897 and in natural science (chemistry) in 1899. From 1899 until his death he worked for Arthur Guiness, Son and company in Dublin, being sent to London in 1935 to take charge of the new Guinness brewery there. Gosset's task was to use the mass of statistical data about brewing methods, barley and hops in order to improve his company's product. In 1905 he contacted Karl Pearson and studied during the session of 1906-7 in his laboratory at University College London. Between 1907 and 1937 Gosset published twenty-two statistical papers and did much work concerned not only with chemistry and biology but also with agriculture.

In 1906 he married Marjory Surtees, youngest daughter of James Surtees Phillpotts. They had one son and two daughters. He died at Beaconsfield on 16th October 1937.

The arrangement, in chronological order, and numbering by Sir R A Fisher is preserved.

Open

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Presented by Sir R A Fisher via Laurence McMullen (Gosset's successor in the Guinness Brewery) and E S Pearson of the Department of Statistical Science, University College London, in 1980.

Full list is available online. This is a list that was created by R A Fisher.

University College London Manuscript Room holds transcripts of the letters from Gosset to Fisher. The transcription was printed for private circulation with a foreword by L McMullen in 1962.

Normal copyright restrictions apply.