Harry Campion

Sir Harry Campion, KCB, CBE (20 May 1905 – 24 May 1996) was a British statistician and the first director of what was the Central Statistical Office of the United Kingdom. He was also first director of the United Nations Statistical Office. He played a leading role in the development of official statistics, nationally and internationally, after the Second World War.

Background and early career

Harry Campion (later Sir Harry Campion) was born in Worsley, Lancashire, and was educated at Farnworth Grammar School and Manchester University. After leaving university, Campion joined the newly formed Cotton Trade Statistical Bureau, which collected data on output and sales of the cotton industry in the UK and also data on cotton industries of other countries and principal export markets and where he took part in the preparation of a regular digest of statistics. He spent 1932 in the United States, having been awarded a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship, then returned to Manchester University where he became Robert Ottley Reader in Statistics from 1933 to 1939 and set up an Economic Research Section carrying out applied research. While at Manchester he published research on the distribution of national capital using estate duty data^[1] and a book on public and private property.^[2] In 1939, Mr Campion joined the Central Economic Intelligence Service (CEIS), part of the War Cabinet Office, whose purpose was to provide economic and statistical material for a continuous survey of financial and economic plans and where Campion's role was to organise the statistics needed.

Career at the Central Statistical Office

In January 1941, the Central Statistical Office was established to co-ordinate all statistics brought before the War Cabinet and soon after, Campion became its first director. The CSO became established as a permanent feature of government focusing on the development of national income accounts. After the war, Campion was seconded to the United Nations for a year to organise the creation of the United Nations Statistical Office. Following this secondment, Campion returned to the CSO until his retirement in March 1967.

Some of the statistical products which first saw the light of day in the Harry Campion era are:

Monthly Digest of Statistics, first published in 1946.
Statistics of Trade Act 1947.
Standard Industrial Classification, completed in 1947 and introduced in 1948.
Annual Abstract, first post-war publication at beginning of 1948.
Index of Industrial Production, first published in February 1948.
Economic Trends, appeared in November 1953.
Development of the National accounts including:

Employment Policy White Paper, first published in 1946.
National Income and Expenditure Blue Book, first produced in September 1952.
Sources and Methods, first edition published in 1956.
quarterly estimates of national expenditure, first published in 1957.
constant price estimates, appeared in 1959.
seasonally adjusted estimates, appeared in 1960.
quarterly balance of payments estimates and the Balance of Payments Pink Book, first published in 1960.

Financial Statistics, first appeared in 1962.

United Nations

After the Second World War, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) invited a number of prominent national statisticians, including Harry Campion, to form a 'Nuclear' Statistical Commission, which met from 1–14 May 1946 and made recommendations for the composition and terms of a permanent commission on statistics; the organisation of a statistical organisation; the disposition of existing statistical activities conducted by the League of Nations; the relationship between the statistical activities of the UN and specialised agencies; and the relationship between the statistical activities of the UN and other non-governmental organisations. Shortly afterward, Campion was seconded, at the request of the first Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Trygve Lie, to the UN for a year to organise the creation of the United Nations Statistical Office.^[3]

Death and bequests

Sir Harry Campion died in 1996 aged 91.

On his death, Sir Harry Campion bequeathed half the residue of his estate to the Royal Statistical Society, who decided to commemorate him and the prominent part he played in the development of official statistics through a Fellowship. The Campion Fellowship is awarded every two years with the maximum sum of money available on any occasion being £10,000, to Fellows of the Society to promote a specific piece of work or project that would make a significant contribution to the development, use or exposition of statistics on the economic or social well being of the population.^[4]

The Manchester Statistical Society was also a beneficiary of the estate of Sir Harry Campion and similarly the bequest was placed into a trust fund to provide occasional modest grants to support research consistent with the Society's objective and history.^[5]

Posts held

Director, Central Statistical Office, UK, 1941–1967.
Member of the 'Nuclear' United Nations Statistics Commission, 1–15 May 1946.
Director, United Nations Statistical Office, 1946–1947
Chairman, United Nations Statistics Commission, 1951 & 1953.
President, Royal Statistical Society, 1957–1959.^[6]
President, International Statistical Institute, 1963–1967.
Vice-President, Manchester Statistical Society.

Awards

CBE (1945).
CB (1949).
RSS Guy Medal in Silver (1950).
KCB (1957).
Fellow of the American Statistical Association (1961)^[7]
Honorary LLB, Manchester (1967).

References

^ Daniels, G. W., & Campion, H. (1936). The distribution of national capital. [Manchester, Eng.]: Manchester University Press.
^ Campion, H. (1939). Public and private property in Great Britain. London: Oxford University Press, H. Milford.
^ "50 Years of the Conference of European Statisticians", United Nations Statistical Commission and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2003, pp 25–26.
^ The Campion Fellowship Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Royal Statistical Society.
^ The Campion Fund, Manchester Statistical Society.
^ "Royal Statistical Society Presidents". Royal Statistical Society. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
^ View/Search Fellows of the ASA Archived 16 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2016-07-23.

External links

Report to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations on the first session of the Statistics Commission held from 27 January to 7 February 1947, paragraph 7, page 4.
United Nations Statistics Division
"Monthly Digest of Statistics", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2006.
"Statistics of Trade Act 1947"^{[permanent dead link]}, (as amended), ONS library service. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"Introduction to UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities UK SIC(92)", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"Annual Abstract of Statistics", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"Index of Production – UK", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"Economic Trends", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"United Kingdom National Accounts – The Blue Book", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"United Kingdom Balance of Payments – The Pink Book", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
"Financial Statistics", ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2007.

Preceded by First incumbent	Director of the Central Statistical Office 1941–1967	Succeeded by Claus Moser (now Lord Moser)

[1] Daniels, G. W., & Campion, H. (1936). The distribution of national capital. [Manchester, Eng.]: Manchester University Press.

[2] Campion, H. (1939). Public and private property in Great Britain. London: Oxford University Press, H. Milford.

[3] "50 Years of the Conference of European Statisticians", United Nations Statistical Commission and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2003, pp 25–26.

[4] The Campion Fellowship Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Royal Statistical Society.

[5] The Campion Fund, Manchester Statistical Society.

[6] "Royal Statistical Society Presidents". Royal Statistical Society. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.

[7] View/Search Fellows of the ASA Archived 16 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2016-07-23.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society
19th century	1834–1836 The Marquess of Lansdowne 1836–1838 Sir Charles Lemon, Bt 1838–1840 The Earl FitzWilliam 1840–1842 Viscount Sandon 1842–1843 The Marquess of Lansdowne 1843–1845 Lord Ashley 1845–1847 The Lord Monteagle of Brandon 1847–1849 The Earl FitzWilliam 1849–1851 The Earl of Harrowby 1851–1853 The Lord Overstone 1853–1855 The Earl FitzWilliam 1855–1857 The Earl of Harrowby 1857–1859 Lord Stanley 1859–1861 Lord John Russell 1861–1863 Sir John Pakington, Bt 1863–1865 William Henry Sykes 1865–1867 The Lord Houghton 1867–1869 William Ewart Gladstone 1869–1871 William Newmarch 1871–1873 William Farr 1873–1875 William Guy 1875–1877 James Heywood 1877–1879 George Shaw-Lefevre 1879–1880 Thomas Brassey 1880–1882 James Caird 1882–1884 Robert Giffen 1884–1886 Rawson W. Rawson 1886–1888 George Goschen 1888–1890 Thomas Graham Balfour 1890–1892 Frederic J. Mouat 1892–1894 Charles Booth 1894–1896 The Lord Farrer 1896–1897 John Biddulph Martin 1897 Alfred Edmund Bateman 1897–1899 Leonard Courtney 1899–1900 Henry Fowler 1900–1902 The Lord Avebury
20th century	1902–1904 Patrick George Craigie 1904–1905 Sir Francis Powell, Bt 1905–1906 The Earl of Onslow 1906–1907 Richard Martin 1907–1909 Sir Charles Dilke, Bt 1909–1910 Jervoise Athelstane Baines 1910–1912 Lord George Hamilton 1912–1914 Francis Ysidro Edgeworth 1914–1915 The Lord Welby 1915–1916 Lord George Hamilton 1916–1918 Bernard Mallet, Registrar General 1918–1920 Herbert Samuel 1920–1922 R. Henry Rew 1922–1924 The Lord Emmott 1924–1926 Udny Yule 1926–1928 The Viscount D'Abernon 1928–1930 A. William Flux 1930–1932 Sir Josiah Stamp 1932–1934 The Lord Meston 1934–1936 Major Greenwood 1936–1938 The Lord Kennet 1938–1940 Arthur Lyon Bowley 1940–1941 Henry William Macrosty 1941 Hector Leak 1941–1943 William Beveridge 1943–1945 Ernest Charles Snow 1945–1947 The Lord Woolton 1947–1949 David Heron 1949–1950 Sir Geoffrey Heyworth 1950–1952 Austin Bradford Hill 1952–1954 Ronald Fisher 1954–1955 The Lord Piercy 1955–1957 Egon Pearson 1957–1959 Harry Campion 1959–1960 Hugh Beaver 1960–1962 Maurice Kendall 1962–1964 Joseph Oscar Irwin 1964–1965 Sir Paul Chambers 1965–1966 L. H. C. Tippett 1966–1967 M. S. Bartlett 1967–1968 Frank Yates 1968–1969 Arthur Cockfield 1969–1970 R. G. D. Allen 1970–1971 Bernard Benjamin 1971–1972 George Alfred Barnard 1972–1973 Harold Wilson 1973–1974 D. J. Finney 1974–1975 Henry Daniels 1975–1977 Stella Cunliffe 1977–1978 Henry Wynn 1978–1980 Sir Claus Moser 1980–1982 David Cox 1982–1984 Peter Armitage 1984–1985 Walter Bodmer 1985–1986 John Nelder 1986–1987 James Durbin 1987–1989 John Kingman 1989–1991 Peter G. Moore 1991–1993 T. M. F. Smith 1993–1995 D. J. Bartholomew 1995–1997 Adrian Smith 1997–1999 Robert Nicholas Curnow 1999–2001 Denise Lievesley
21st century	2001–2003 Peter Green 2003–2005 Andy Grieve 2005–2007 Tim Holt 2008–2009 David Hand 2010–2010 Bernard Silverman (resigned Feb 2010; replaced pro tem by David Hand) 2011–2012 Valerie Isham 2013–2014 John Pullinger 2014–2016 Peter Diggle 2017–2018 David Spiegelhalter 2019– Deborah Ashby
Category List

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	United States Czech Republic Netherlands Poland Israel
Other	IdRef