The American Statistical Association is a professional society interested in the theory, methodology, and application of statistics to all fields of human endeavor. It was founded in 1839 in Boston, Massachusetts. Originally called the American Statistical Society, it changed its name to its present form in 1840, and a constitution and charter were in place by 1841. Beginning as a regional organization, the ASA had become a national organization by 1914. In 1934, it moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. During the last half century the ASA has increased its membership base and the number of publications it produces. By 1990, its membership had reached 15,000 and it published nine journals. Its current headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.  For a fuller history of the American Statistical Association, see R. L. Mason, J. D. McKenzie, Jr., and S. J. Ruberg, "A Brief History of the American Statistical Association, 1839-1989," The American Statistician, Vol. 44, No. 2 (May 1990): 68-73.

The American Statistical Association records do not uniformly document the organization's history.  Though there are some nineteenth-century records, there are also many gaps in the early documentation.  The collection is most complete for recent decades, particularly the 1980s.  It includes correspondence, committee files, financial records, publications, indexes to journals, conference proceedings, news clippings, and research proposals. It also includes a copy of the American Statistical Association's original charter and constitution. The collection contains some records dealing with the International Statistical Institute, IRIS Programs in Africa, CIRIS Programs in Africa and Asia, the Latin American Program (LAP), the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS), and contains early organizational materials and information on the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. There are records for several sections within ASA, most notably the Biopharmaceutical Section, ca. 1970‑1979.