Divisia, François Jean Marie (1889–1964)

Abstract

Divisia was born in Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. He received baccalaureate degrees in mathematics and philosophy at Algiers. After two years in the Ecole Polytechnique he worked for the government as a civil engineer (Ponts et Chaussées). His graduate engineering work at the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées was completed in 1919 after the interruption of the First World War. After nearly ten years as a government engineer he joined the ministry of national education to continue research and teaching economics. He became a professor of applied economics at the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (1932–50), the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (1929–59), and the Ecole Polytechnic (1929–59). He was a founding member of the Econometric Society and its president in 1935. Subsequently he was also president of the Paris Statistics Society (1939) and of the International Econometric Society. He was a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.