Charles Roy Henderson ((1911-04-01)April 1, 1911 – (1989-03-14)March 14, 1989) was an American
statistician and a pioneer in
animal breeding — the application of quantitative methods for the genetic evaluation of domestic livestock. This is critically important because it allows farmers and geneticists to predict whether a crop or animal will have a desired trait, and to what extent the trait will be expressed. He developed
mixed model equations to obtain
best linear unbiased predictions of breeding values and, in general, any random effect. He invented three methods for the estimation of
variance components in unbalanced settings of mixed models, and invented a method for constructing the inverse of
Wright's numerator
relationship matrix based on a simple list of pedigree information. He, with his Ph.D. student
Shayle R. Searle, greatly extended the use of matrix notation in statistics. His methods are widely used by the domestic livestock industry throughout the world and are a cornerstone of linear model theory.
Henderson obtained his
B.Sc.,
M.Sc.(nutrition) and
Ph.D.(breeding) degrees at
Iowa State University, where he was a student of Professor L. N. Hazel. Henderson joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Science at
Cornell University in 1948, and headed the Animal Breeding division for nearly 30 years until he retired in 1976. After retiring from Cornell, he was a visiting professor at the
University of Guelph and
University of Illinois until his death. He completed his book in 1984 at the
University of Guelph.
Honors and awards
1955, Senior
Fulbright Research Scholar (New Zealand)
Henderson, CR (1990). "Statistical Methods in Animal Improvement: Historical Overview". In Gianola, Daniel; Hammond, Keith (eds.). Advances in Statistical Methods for Genetic Improvement of Livestock. Springer-Verlag Inc. pp. 2–14.
ISBN978-3-540-50809-0.
Henderson, CR (1990). "Accounting for Selection and Mating Biases in Genetic Evaluation". In
Gianola, Daniel;
Hammond, Keith (eds.). Advances in Statistical Methods for Genetic Improvement of Livestock. Springer-Verlag Inc. pp. 413–436.
ISBN978-3-540-50809-0.
Henderson, CR (1988). "Use of an average numerator relationship matrix for multiple-sire joining". Journal of Animal Science. 66 (7): 1614–1621.
doi:
10.2527/jas1988.6671614x.
Henderson, C. R. (1988). "The use of equivalent linear models in mixed model estimation and prediction". Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods. 17 (4): 969–982.
doi:
10.1080/03610928808829668.
Henderson, CR (1984). Applications of Linear Models in Animal Breeding. Guelph, Ont: University of Guelph.
ISBN978-0-88955-030-8.
Henderson, C.R. (1984). "ANOVA, MIVQUE, REML, and ML Algorithms for Estimation of Variances and Covariances". In David, H. A.; David, H. T. (eds.). Statistics: An Appraisal. Iowa State University. pp. 257–280.
ISBN978-0-8138-1721-7.
Henderson, CR (1980). "Comparison of Unbiased Estimators and Approximate Tests of Hypothesis in the Unbalanced Mixed Model with Unknown Variances". ASA Proceedings of the Statistical Computing Section. American Statistical Association. pp. 47–51.
1970s
Henderson, C. R. (1979). "Analysis of covariance in mixed models with unequal subclass numbers". Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods. 8 (8): 751–787.
doi:
10.1080/03610927908827798.
Henderson, CR; McAllister, AJ (1978). "The missing subclass problem in two way fixed models". Journal of Animal Science. 46 (4): 1125–1137.
doi:
10.2527/jas1978.4641125x.
Henderson, C. R. (1978). "Variance-Covariance Matrix of Estimators of Variances in Unweighted Means ANOVA". Biometrics. 34 (3): 462–468.
doi:
10.2307/2530609.
JSTOR2530609.
Henderson, C. R. (1976). "A Simple Method for Computing the Inverse of a Numerator Relationship Matrix Used in Prediction of Breeding Values". Biometrics. 32 (1): 69–83.
doi:
10.2307/2529339.
JSTOR2529339.
Henderson, CR (1975). "Comparison of alternative sire evaluation methods". Journal of Animal Science. 41 (3): 760–770.
doi:
10.2527/jas1975.413760x.
Henderson, C. R. (1975). "Best Linear Unbiased Estimation and Prediction under a Selection Model". Biometrics. 31 (2): 423–447.
doi:
10.2307/2529430.
JSTOR2529430.
PMID1174616.
Henderson, C. R.; Searle, S. R.; Schaeffer, L. R. (1974). "The Invariance and Calculation of Method 2 for Estimating Variance Components". Biometrics. 30 (4): 583–588.
doi:
10.2307/2529223.
JSTOR2529223.
Henderson, C. R. (1973). "Sire Evaluation and Genetic Trends". Journal of Animal Science. 1973: 10–41.
doi:
10.1093/ansci/1973.Symposium.10.
Cunningham, E. P.; Henderson, C. R. (1968). "An Iterative Procedure for Estimating Fixed Effects and Variance Components in Mixed Model Situations". Biometrics. 24 (1): 13–25.
doi:
10.2307/2528457.
JSTOR2528457.
PMID5642400.
Cunningham, E. P.; Henderson, C. R. (1966). "Analytical Techniques for Incomplete Block Experiments". Biometrics. 22 (4): 829–842.
doi:
10.2307/2528077.
JSTOR2528077.
Searle, S. R.; Henderson, C. R. (1961). "Computing Procedures for Estimating Components of Variance in the Two-Way Classification, Mixed Model". Biometrics. 17 (4): 607–616.
doi:
10.2307/2527859.
JSTOR2527859.
Henderson, C. R.; Kempthorne, O.; Searle, S. R.; Von Krosigk, C. M. (1959). "The Estimation of Environmental and Genetic Trends from Records Subject to Culling". Biometrics. 15 (2): 192–218.
doi:
10.2307/2527669.
JSTOR2527669.
Van Vleck, L. D. (1998). "Charles Roy Henderson, 1911-1989: A brief biography". Journal of Animal Science. 76 (12): 2959–2961.
doi:
10.2527/1998.76122959x.
PMID9928597.