STATISTICIANS IN HISTORY
Irene Hess (left and above) worked at the U.S. Census Bureau during the late ‘50s and stayed
there until her retirement in 1981.
Michigan, but his assistant was going to get married and move
away and Kish needed somebody else. I was recommended to
Kish and he wrote to me. In the meantime, at the [U.S.] Census
Bureau, I think at least twice, when I came to work in the morn-
ing, they told me I should leave. I had no retention points to
justify my continuing employment at the [U.S.] Census Bureau.
(When a person returned from military service, that person had
mathematics. I did not want to be responsible for teaching chil- to be re-employed.)
dren and encouraging them in what I would consider to be the
[Scheuren] They were laying off people?
‘right way.’
So, I decided to try for statistical employment in the federal
[Hess] Yes, that was because of the return of veterans from the
government. But to pass the civil service exam, you had to have
war, and every time someone came back and had to have a job,
a minimum of six hours in statistics and I did not have that, so I
they selected me to lay off. That happened twice. Joe Steinberg
went about getting it. I considered Indiana first, but there wasn’t
worked hard to get me back each time. Anyway, on one Good
anything there that interested me at that time. I was aware of Iowa.
Friday evening, I walked into my apartment and picked up my
Leslie [Kish] asked me once why I didn’t go to Iowa. I didn’t tell him
mail and there was this communication from Leslie Kish out here
why, but my mother’s parents lived in Iowa. It was always so hot
in Michigan.
in Iowa in the summer, so I just wouldn’t consider going to school
When I got the letter, I felt it was going to be a job offer and
in Iowa because I just couldn’t take that heat. I ordered catalogues
I knew that I was going to take it, but I didn’t want to. I liked
from several universities—Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky, per-
Washington and I always liked the [U.S.] Census Bureau. I
haps others. I came to Michigan two summers (1940, 1941). That
responded to Leslie’s letter, and he invited me here to look around.
is how I got my six hours in statistics, and that was what I needed
I’ve been here ever since, and that was 1954. In 1981, I retired. I’ve
for the civil service exam, which I passed.
been retired for 27 years.
[Scheuren] And you came to Washington after that?
[Scheuren] But you’ve been working here as a retired person,
every weekday ever since? That’s a real compliment to you
[Hess] Yes, it was right after the start of World War II in December
and to the center.
and there was a civil service exam in May. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics sent out invitations, and that’s what I applied for and
[Hess] Well it has been a long time. The way it began was I had
went first to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then, I was at the
started this book [on sampling]. We had some very complex sam-
Bureau of Standards for a short time when they were developing
ple designs for various projects and it bothered me that nobody else
the proximity fuse for bombs in the war. When the war was over, I
around here knew anything about the sampling activities. So, I had
decided I better get away from the Bureau of Standards. Of course,
written or was working on that book, Sampling for Social Survey
I had already been here, at Michigan, for two years because I was
Research Surveys, 1947–1980. I decided to stay and finish it.
really interested in statistics. So, I went out to the [U.S.] Census
Bureau and talked to somebody out there. They were just organiz-
[Scheuren] So, that is how you are continuing to work after retire-
ing the first sampling section at the [U.S.] Census Bureau.
ment? What came next that kept you coming here every day?
Anyway, I joined the sampling section at the [U.S.] Census
[Hess] Roe Goodman. I don’t know if you were ever acquainted
Bureau around 1944 or something like that. I was there until
with Goodman.
I came here in 1954. Kish was in charge of sampling here in
[Scheuren] No, I wasn’t, but I know of his work.
8 AMSTAT NEWS SEPTEMBER 2008
SEPTEMBER AMSTAT FINAL.indd 8 8/20/08 2:26:54 PM
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