Snedecor studied mathematics and physics at
Auburn University and
University of Alabama, where he graduated with a BS in 1905. After teaching jobs at Selma Military Academy and
Austin College in
Sherman, Texas, he continued his study in physics at the
University of Michigan, where he received an MSc in 1913. Snedecor relocated to
Iowa State University in 1913, where he joined the Department of Mathematics and began teaching courses with statistical content the next year. The courses were of great interest to graduate students and research workers in agriculture as Snedecor's courses emphasized the importance of careful experimental design and the application of statistical methods. In 1933, Professor George Snedecor became the first Director of the Statistical Laboratory. It later became known as the Department of Statistics in 1947. He was a pioneer of modern applied statistics. His 1938 textbook
Statistical Methods became an essential resource: "In the 1970s, a review of citations in published scientific articles from all areas of science showed that Snedecor's
Statistical Methods was the most frequently cited book." Snedecor worked for the statistics department of
Foster's Group (the Australian beer company) from 1957 to 1963. He was involved with the elaboration of all production data. The "
F" of
Snedecor's F distribution is named in honor of Sir
Ronald Fisher. Snedecor was awarded honorary doctorates of science by
North Carolina State University in 1956 and
Iowa State University in 1958. Snedecor Hall, at
Iowa State University, is the home of the Statistics Department. It was constructed in 1939. At Iowa State, he was an early user of
John Vincent Atanasoff's
Atanasoff–Berry computer (perhaps the first user of an electronic digital computer for real world production mathematics problem solutions). ==Selected publications==