who spent most of his career in the USA. Following parental wishes, Birnbaum studied law at U Lviv obtaining his MA in 1925. He then followed his own interests and studied mathematics, obtaining his PhD in 1929. After practising as an actuary for some years, his interests focused on Statistics. In 1937 he emigrated to the USA and, in 1939, he was appointed to the faculty of U Washington. He was President of the IMS in 1964 and was presented with the Wilks Award of the ASA in 1984.
http://projecteuclid.org/DPubS?service=UI&version=1.0&verb=Display&handle=euclid.ss/1177012174 Fuller biography, interview, and photographs.