Harold F. Dodge

Harold French Dodge (January 23, 1893 – December 10, 1976) was one of the principal architects of the science of statistical quality control. He is known for his work in originating acceptance sampling plans for putting inspection operations on a scientific basis in terms of controllable risks.

Early life Harold French Dodge was born on January 23, 1893, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His father was the photographer William Hanson Dodge. Dodge graduated with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1916. He graduated with a Master of Arts in mathematics and physics from Columbia University in 1922.

From 1958 to 1970, he was professor of applied and mathematical statistics at the graduate college of Rutgers University's Statistics Center. They had a son and two daughters, H. Stuart, Dorothy and Helen. Dodge died on December 10, 1976, at his home on Briarcliff Road in Mountain Lakes.

Awards Dodge was an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. He was a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association. In 1950, ASTM gave Dodge the Award of Merit. In 1954, ASTM named him the Marburg Lecturer and in 1968, he became an honorary member of ASTM. He was a recipient of the Shewhart Medal in 1949 and the Grant Award in 1972. He was a fellow and founding member of ASQ and was made an honorary member in 1965.

In 1978, ASTM E11 committee named an award in his honor called the Harold F. Dodge Award for technical contributions.