Hugh J. Miser

Brief Biography

Hugh Jordan Miser was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Nellie (née Pyle) and Wilson Lee Miser. His father had a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago, was on the mathematics faculty at Vanderbilt University, and published College Algebra (1928), a widely-used instructional textbook. The younger Miser studied at Vanderbilt and received his B.A. in 1938. Miser earned his master’s at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). As a graduate student he taught classes at IIT and Ohio State University. While working on his PhD, Miser served as the acting head of the mathematics department at nearby Lawrence College.

On the suggestion of an IIT colleague, Miser went to the Pentagon to employ mathematical skills as a civilian operations analyst. He worked with the 20^th Air Force and later relocated to Guam in 1945. One of Miser’s earlier projects concerned the accuracy of bombing missions over Germany. In the process of solving this one specific problem, Miser developed a new scoring system that measured bombing accuracy. He worked closely with and was influenced by Pentagon statistician William J. Youden. It was during this time that Miser first explored what operations research and applied mathematics had to offer.  After returning to Ohio State to complete his PhD in 1946, Miser remained with the military and joined the operations analysis team in the U.S. Department of the Air Force (USAF).

For eleven years, Miser solved classified problems and made major strides in Air Force strategy and other related military areas. In 1959, he left the USAF for the Research Triangle Institute to become the director of the Operational Science Laboratory. Miser continued to take his talents around, working at the U.S. Navy’s Operations Evaluation Group (1960-1962), the Mitre Corporation (1962-1965), and the Travelers Research Center (1965-1968). He returned to academic life in 1969 and joined the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) faculty as a professor and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.

Miser played a major role in the establishment and growth of professional operations research institutions and journals. In 1952, he was among the founding members of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA). He was the editor of the book review section of ORSA’s journal, Operations Research, before becoming editor-in-chief of the entire publication in 1968. During his six-year tenure, Miser adopted a bold preference for substance over style, publishing revolutionary and innovative papers. He held multiple positions with ORSA prior to becoming the organization’s president in 1962. In 1975, Miser was awarded the George E. Kimball Medal for his contribution to the society and the profession. 

Miser retired from UMass 1980 and joined the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)in Laxenberg, Austria. At IIASA, he befriended Edward Quade and began their three volume Handbook of Systems Analysis. Miser’s publications from the period reflect the broad philosophical views of OR that he developed over his long career, commenting on OR as a technology. His interest in the history of OR led to the creation of the Miser-Harris Presidential Gallery (named after him and Carl M. Harris), the official chronicle of all past ORSA, TIMS (The Institute of Management Sciences), and INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) presidents. 

Miser was awarded the Jacinto Steinhardt Memorial Award in 1999 for his work in the military application of operation’s research. He passed away the same year and was inducted into the International Federation of Operational Research Societies’ Hall of Fame post mortem in 2005.

Other Biographies

Profiles in Operations Research: Hugh J. Miser
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INFORMS. Miser-Harris Presidential Portrait Gallery: Hugh J. Miser. Accessed January 24, 2014. (link)

Rothkopf MH (2005) IFORS' Operational Research Hall of Fame: Hugh Jordan Miser. International Transactions in Operations Research, 12: 259-262. (link)

Hugh Miser (1994) Interview, July 28. Audio Cassette. RAND History Project, National Air and Space Museum.

Transcript of July 28, 1994 Interview of Dr. Hugh Miser