Francis Galton

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Lore & Background

Galton was born at 'The Larches', a large house in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham, England, built on the site of 'Fair Hill', the former home of Joseph Priestley. He was Charles Darwin's half-cousin, sharing the common grandparent Erasmus Darwin. His father was Samuel Tertius Galton. The Galtons were Quaker gun-manufacturers and bankers. Galton was a child prodigy – he was reading by the age of two; at age five he knew some Greek, Latin and long division, and by the age of six he had moved on to adult books, including Shakespeare for pleasure. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham, but left at 16. He studied for two years at Birmingham General Hospital and King's College London Medical School, then mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1840 to early 1844. According to the records of the United Grand Lodge of England, it was in February 1844 that Galton became a freemason at the Scientific lodge, held at the Red Lion Inn in Cambridge. A nervous breakdown frustrated his plan to try for honours; he elected instead to take a 'poll' (pass) B.A. degree. The death of his father in 1844 left him financially independent, and he terminated his medical studies entirely, turning to foreign travel, sport and technical invention. In his early years he made a solo trip through Eastern Europe to Istanbul, and in 1845 and 1846 went to Egypt and travelled up the Nile to Khartoum in the Sudan, and from there to Beirut, Damascus and down to Jordan. In 1850 he joined the Royal Geographical Society, and over the next two years mounted a long and difficult expedition into then little-known South West Africa (now Namibia). He wrote a book on his experience, Narrative of an Explorer in Tropical South Africa. He was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Medal in 1853 and the Silver Medal of the French Geographical Society for his pioneering cartographic survey of the region. He proceeded to write the best-selling The Art of Travel. Galton produced over 340 papers and books. He prepared the first weather map published in The Times (1 April 1875, showing the weather from the previous day, 31 March). He invented the Galton whistle for testing differential hearing ability. He devised a method for classifying fingerprints that proved useful in forensic science. He founded psychometrics and differential psychology. His book Hereditary Genius (1869) was the first social scientific attempt to study genius and greatness. He coined the term 'eugenics' in 1883. Galton was knighted in 1909 for his contributions to science.

Reader's Guide

Galton's significance lies in his systematic application of statistical thinking to human variation. He developed the statistical concept of correlation and widely promoted regression toward the mean. He was the first to apply statistical methods to the study of human differences and inheritance of intelligence, and introduced the use of questionnaires and surveys for collecting data on human communities. He popularised the phrase 'nature versus nurture'. His book Hereditary Genius (1869) was the first social scientific attempt to study genius and greatness. He founded psychometrics and differential psychology, as well as the lexical hypothesis of personality. He devised a method for classifying fingerprints that proved useful in forensic science. He also conducted research on the power of prayer, concluding it had none due to its null effects on the longevity of those prayed for. As the initiator of scientific meteorology, he devised the first weather map, proposed a theory of anticyclones, and was the first to establish a complete record of short-term climatic phenomena on a European scale. He also invented the Galton whistle for testing differential hearing ability. However, his legacy is deeply controversial: he was a pioneer of eugenics, coining the term itself in 1883. In recent years, he has received significant criticism for being a proponent of social Darwinism, eugenics, and biological racism. His ideas later became the basis of behavioural genetics. While his statistical and methodological innovations remain influential, his eugenic ideology has drawn sustained criticism.

Did You Know?

• Galton was reading by the age of two and knew some Greek, Latin and long division by age five.
• He coined the term 'eugenics' in 1883.
• He prepared the first weather map published in The Times on 1 April 1875, showing the weather from the previous day.
• He invented the Galton whistle for testing differential hearing ability.
• He conducted research on the power of prayer, concluding it had none due to its null effects on the longevity of those prayed for.