About Arthur P. Dempster
Lived 1929 – 2026 (aged 96). Arthur P. Dempster was an American statistician, university teacher and mathematician, known for Dempster–Shafer theory and Expectation–maximization algorithm.
Arthur Pentland Dempster (October 8, 1929 – January 30, 2026) was an American mathematician who was professor emeritus in the Harvard University department of statistics. He was one of four faculty members composing the department when it was founded in 1957.
Life and career Dempster received his B.A. in mathematics and physics (1952) and M.A. in mathematics (1953), both from the University of Toronto. He obtained his Ph.D. in mathematical statistics from Princeton University in 1956. His thesis, titled The two-sample multivariate problem in the degenerate case, was written under the supervision of John Tukey.
Dempster died on January 30, 2026, at the age of 96.
Academic works Among his contributions to statistics are the initial theory that was expanded into the Dempster–Shafer theory with Glenn Shafer, and the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm.
Selected publications
Honors and awards Dempster was a Putnam Fellow in 1951. He was elected as an American Statistical Association Fellow in 1964,
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Arthur P. Dempster?
American mathematician
When was Arthur P. Dempster born?
Arthur P. Dempster was born on 8 October 1929 in Toronto.
When did Arthur P. Dempster die?
Arthur P. Dempster died on 30 January 2026.
What was Arthur P. Dempster's occupation?
Arthur P. Dempster was a statistician, university teacher and mathematician.
What was Arthur P. Dempster known for?
Arthur P. Dempster was known for Dempster–Shafer theory and Expectation–maximization algorithm.
What nationality was Arthur P. Dempster?
Arthur P. Dempster was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Arthur P. Dempster
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Arthur P. Dempster. https://biography.guide/arthur-p-dempster/
MLA: "Arthur P. Dempster." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/arthur-p-dempster/.
Chicago: "Arthur P. Dempster." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/arthur-p-dempster/.
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