Robert Groves | |
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Director of the Census Bureau | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office July 15, 2009 |
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President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Thomas Mesenbourg (Acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | September 27, 1948 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Alma mater | Dartmouth College University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
Robert Martin Groves (born September 27, 1948)[1][2] is the Director of the United States Census Bureau, a sociologist, and research professor in survey methodology at both the University of Michigan and University of Maryland, College Park. He was an associate director and later a visiting researcher at the Census Bureau from 1990 to 1992, and he has published several books on statistical sampling.
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Groves was born in Kansas City, Missouri, grew up in Metairie, Louisiana, and graduated in 1966 from De La Salle High School in New Orleans.[2][3] In 1970, he graduated (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Dartmouth College with an A.B. degree[4] in sociology.[5] He later earned two M.A. degrees (sociology and statistics, both 1973) and a PhD (sociology, 1975) from the University of Michigan.[5][6]
When Groves was an associate director at the United States Census Bureau in the early 1990s, he argued that potentially millions of minorities who typically voted Democratic were being undercounted. Groves advocated for the use of statistical adjustments to account for this discrepancy. George H. W. Bush's Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher blocked this suggestion. The Census Bureau is a component of the U.S. Department of Commerce.[5]
On April 2, 2009, Groves was nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Census Bureau.[7] During his confirmation hearings, Republican senators raised concerns based on Groves' previous actions that he would apply statistical adjustments to populations believed to be undercounted, thereby inflating their numbers and affecting the apportionment of congressional seats. Groves ruled out the use of statistical adjustments during the hearings and his nomination quickly proceeded to the full Senate in May. However, senators Richard Shelby and David Vitter continued to delay his confirmation due to lingering worries regarding statistical adjustments. They also sought assurance from the Obama administration that the controversial community group ACORN would not be involved in grassroots outreach related to the 2010 Census. On July 13, 2009, after several weeks of opposition by the two senators, Senate majority leader Harry Reid used a procedural motion to force a vote that confirmed Groves, 76-15.[8] He took office July 15, 2009.[9][10]
Groves is the author of several books, including:
Groves is the editor of several books, including:
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Thomas Mesenbourg Acting |
Director of the Census Bureau 2009–present |
Incumbent |