Promoting statistical methods to engineers and economists : Walter Andrew Shewhart and statistical quality control

Walter Andrew Shewhart is regarded as the founder of Statistical Quality Control (SQC), an approach to production inspection based on the application of statistical theory. He developed SQC in the 1920s while working at Bell Telephone Laboratories. During this period, he was tasked with training Bell System engineers in SQC. Concurrently, he addressed broader audiences through numerous publications and lectures worldwide. In this context, he notably played an active role in the early activities of the Econometric Society, where he promoted SQC and, more broadly, the use of statistical methods among its members. This article examines how Shewhart envisioned the relationships between economists and engineers during the interwar period, his role as a promoter of statistical methods among both groups, and the reasons behind the Econometric Society’s interest in him - a figure positioned at the intersection of mathematical statistics and production organization within one of the largest American firms of the era.