Articles on actuarial history by actuaries

Please see Selected books and papers on actuarial history and pioneers for a fuller list of books and papers on these topics. The articles below appear in Journal of the Institute of Actuaries (JIA), Transactions of the Faculty of Actuaries (TFA), British Actuarial Journal (BAJ) and Annals of Actuarial Science (AAS).

Actuarial pioneers and actuaries:

• Heywood, G. (1999). Francis Baily: another astronomer and actuary. BAJ (1999) 5: 269-271. (DOI link to BAJ article on Cambridge Journals - access via member login or through Athens portal)
• De Morgan, A. (1868). Some account of James Dodson, F.R.S. JIA 14: 341-364
• Hooker, P.F. (1965). Benjamin Gompertz, 1779-1865. JIA (1965) 91: 203-212.
• Glass, D.V. (1950). John Graunt's life table. JIA 76: 60-64.
• Renn, D.F. (1962). John Graunt: citizen of London. JIA 88: 367-369.
• [Graunt, J.]; Benjamin, B., foreword]. (1964). John Graunt's  'Observations'. JIA 90: 1-61.
• Heywood, G. (1985). Edmond Halley: astronomer and actuary. JIA (1985) 112: 279-301.
• Daw, R.H. (1980). Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777). JIA (1980) 107: 345-363.
• Elderton, W.P. (1931). William Morgan, F.R.S, 1750-1833. TFA 14: 1-20.
• Ogborn, M.E. (1957). Some family connexions of William Morgan, F.R.S. (1750-1833). JIA 83: 300-301.
• Anderson, J.G. (1945). William Morgan and X-rays. TFA 17: 219-221.
• Ogborn, M.E. and Storr-Best, R.H. (1959). Arthur Morgan's mortality experience. JIA 85: 300-309.
• Elderton, W.P. (1933). William Morgan F.R.S., 1750-1833. JIA 64: 364-365. (Facsimile of William Morgan's work for the Society for Equitable Assurances).

The 'Actuary', actuarial profession and work

• Young, T.E. (1898). The nature and history of actuarial work as exemplifying the mode of development and the methods of science. JIA 33: 97-131.Appendix: Title of Actuary.
• Ogborn, M.E. (1956). The professional name of actuary. JIA 82: 233-246
• Dow, J.B. (1971-1973). Early actuarial work in eighteenth-century Scotland. TFA 33: 193-229.
• Lewin, C.G., Evans, J.V., Goodare, K.J., Packer, L.J. (1989). Calculating devices and actuarial work. JIA 116: 215-287.
• Daykin, C.D. (1992). The developing role of the Government Actuary's Department in the supervision of insurance. JIA 119: 313-343.

Demography, mortality and life tables

• Hendriks, F. (1848-1851). Memoir of the early history of auxiliary tables for the computation of life contingencies. JIA 1: 1-20.
• Deuchar, J.J.W. (1882). A sketch of the history of the science of life contingencies, with special reference to the origin and construction of mortality tables. Transactions of the Insurance and Actuarial Society of Glasgow,1st Series, 3: 35-71.
• Daw, R.H. (1979). Smallpox and the double decrement table: a piece of actuarial prehistory. JIA 106: 299-318.
• Seal, H.L. (1980). Early uses of Graunt's life table. JIA 107: 507-511.

Finance, interest and annuities (early evidence of mathematics addressing life contingencies)

• Hendriks, F. (1851-1853). Contributions to the history of insurance, and of the theory of life contingencies, with a restoration of the grand pensionary De Wit's 'Treatise of life annuities'. Part I. JIA (1851-1853) 2: 121-150;  Part II. JIA (1851-1853) 2: 222-258; Part III. JIA (1851-1853) 3: 93-120.
• Lewin, C.G. (1970). An early book on compound interest. JIA 96: 121-132. [Richard Witt's 'Arithmeticall Questions']
• Lewin, C.G. (1981). Compound interest in the seventeenth century. JIA 108: 422-442.

(History of) Insurance, life insurance and reinsurance

• Hendriks, F. (1853-1854). On the first Parliamentary Committee of Insurance, with remarks illustrative of other facts connected with the history of insurance. Part I. JIA 4: 58-60; Part II. JIA 4: 119-131; Part III. JIA 4: 300-359.
• Hendriks, F. (1862). Notes on the early history of tontines. JIA 10: 205-219.
• Walford, C. (1884-1887). History of life assurance in the United Kingdom. Part I. JIA 25: 114-133; Part II. JIA 25: 207-216; Part III. JIA 25: 257-271; Part IV. JIA 25: 433-437;  Part V. JIA 26: 1-24; Part VI. JIA 26: 120-132; Part VII. JIA 26: 302-315; Part VIII. JIA 26: 436-465