Christopher Tong

America’s late 19th century—its “Gilded Age”—was notorious for its “robber barons”: leaders of large companies who wielded highly concentrated power in the nation’s economy, such as John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, and Andrew Carnegie. However, Carnegie was unique among them: He was the only one who was a member of the American Statistical Association (ASA). The careful collection, analysis, and interpretation of data were central to both Carnegie’s management prowess and philanthropic activities. He had reason to join the ASA in 1892, but would his 21st-century counterparts do so today?

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