Biography

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, DeGroot graduated from Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...

 and earned master's and doctor's degrees from the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

. DeGroot joined Carnegie Mellon in 1957 and became a University Professor, the school's highest faculty position.

He wrote three books, edited four volumes and authored over one hundred papers. Most of his research was on the theory of rational decision-making under uncertainty. His Optimal Statistical Decisions, published in 1970, is still recognized as one of the great books in the field. His undergraduate text, Probability and Statistics, published in 1975, is widely recognized as a classic textbook.

DeGroot was elected fellow of the American Statistical Association

American Statistical Association

The American Statistical Association , is the main professional US organization for statisticians and related professions. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest, continuously operating professional society in the United States...

, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics

Institute of Mathematical Statistics

The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...

, the International Statistical Institute

International Statistical Institute

The International Statistical Institute is a professional association of statisticians. The Institut International de Statistique or International Statistical Institute was founded in 1885 although there had been international congresses from 1853.. The Institute publishes a variety of books and...

, the Econometric Society

Econometric Society

The Econometric Society is an international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation with statistics and mathematics. It was founded on December 29, 1930 at the Stalton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio....

 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...

.

He was the founding editor of the review journal

Review journal

A review journal in academic publishing is a periodical or series that is devoted to the publication of review articles that summarize the progress in some particular area or topic during a preceding period.-Types:Review journals can be divided by...

 Statistical Science

Statistical Science

Statistical Science is a review journal published by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. The founding editor was Morris H. DeGroot.-External links:*...

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