Introduction

Abstract Egon Sharpe Pearson has a secure place in any account of the development of statistical methodology during the twentieth century. Between 19 25 and 1938, his collaboration with Jerzy Neyman established the Neyman-Pearson theory of testing hypotheses. The continuing importance of this feature of statistical inference owes much to his interests in the connection between theory and practice, which are also shown by his work on editing statistical tables. His enthusiasm for the use of quality control in industry led to the Royal Statistical Society forming an Industrial and Agricultural Research Section in 1933, and greatly assisted the introduction of control charts in wartime. He was Managing Editor of Biometrika from 1936 to 1966, in which role the subject of statistics was immeasurably helped by his conscientious editing and kindly advice to contributing authors. His many honours attest to the esteem in which he was widely held. However, Egon Pearson was not only a distinguished statistician but also an outstanding historian of statistics. His historical work was informed by a lucid style free from polemics, imbued with a deep understanding of the flow of ideas, and supported by knowledge and experience of exceptional range. The historical aspect of his career began in 19 38-9 when events led him to compile biographies of his father Karl Pearson and ‘Student’ (William Sealy Gosset).