Who Is Sir Francis Galton?

II. The Lecture Part 1

Sir Francis Galton, sometimes described as the last of the great Victorian polymaths, was a man whose contributions, generosity, and legacy have an enormous effect on our society, and yet few of us know his name.

I hope to correct this strange omission and give a long overdue tribute to one of the great men of history.

Now, before we begin, let me say that I hope you will find this material informative and even entertaining. Certainly not pedantic. I would like you to imagine that you are a good friend of mine, and that I have called and said that I am involved in a personal project that has become very exciting, and I would like to tell you about it.

This is basically what has happened with some of my friends, and most are still willing to hear me out. My wife Jayne, on the other hand, after hearing me say for the nth time: “Guess what else I have learned about Sir Francis Galton?”, has started to reply with things like “Isn't that the doorbell ringing?” or “I think I smell the toast burning.” Well, you can't win them all. In spite of this, Jayne is one of those who has encouraged me to prepare and present this material.

I shall not entirely present things in the chronological order of Galton's own experience, but rather in roughly the order in which I discovered them. For a chronological list, I suggest that you consult the great volumes of Karl Pearson, “The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton”. Pages xx through xxiii from the volume entitled, “Resume Of The Life And Labours Of Francis Galton” provide a wonderful distillation of Sir Francis Galton's life and accomplishments. Here is evidence of a sweeping life, of great accomplishment, and perhaps a hint of the power of the legacy to come.

Francis Galton was born in 1822, at “The Larches”, in Birmingham, England. His grandfather was the well-known Erasmus Darwin. Therefore, Francis Galton and Charles Darwin were half cousins. Francis Galton was truly a Victorian Englishman; he was fifteen when Queen Victoria came to the throne, and he outlived her by ten years.

His older sister Adele taught him the letters of the alphabet before he could speak. (He pointed to them as they were called out.) By age 2½ he could read a small book, and by age four he says confidently (confidence was a characteristic he would carry through life) “I am four years old and can read any English book, cast up any sum in addition, and multiply by 2 through 11. I can also say the pence table, read a little French, and I know the Clock.”

Francis Galton at Cambridge

Young Francis had a fairly normal upbringing for an upper-class Englishman and, mostly to satisfy his father's wishes, he took a BA degree at Cambridge in January of 1844.

In October of the same year, Francis' father, Samuel Tertius Galton, died at the age of 61. So at 22, Francis Galton found himself wealthy enough to choose any direction for his life. Few men are accorded such an opportunity and, to his considerable credit, he made the most of it.

Not much is documented about Francis Galton's activities from the age of 22 to about 27. Francis did show his love of travel by going to Egypt, Khartoum, and Syria. And after this, he spent time learning to hunt and shoot; a very typical behaviour for a young aristocrat.

In 1849, Francis Galton discussed a possible African exploration with his cousin Douglas Galton, who is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. With the aid of the Society, Galton selected an area of Southwest Africa which was then called Damaraland. His first important book chronicles this early exploration of Africa, then known as the “Dark Continent”.

Back in 1995, I watched the Miss Universe Pageant, which originated from Namibia, “The Jewel of Africa”. During the commercial breaks, travelogues of points of interest were shown. Some of the names sounded familiar, so I got out Galton's book, and sure enough, the location of one of Namibia's present day national parks is clearly marked on Galton's map of Damaraland. I read Galton's book about African exploration long after I read his books about human nature, statistics, and eugenics. I found it to be a wonderful book, one of those “can't put it down” books. We find that Galton's idea of exploration is not just adventure and sightseeing, but an opportunity to collect facts, analyse them, and draw insights. Here is our first picture of the emerging statistical mind of Francis Galton. Also, there were humorous episodes, written with a kind of naive, innocent charm that I found to be quite captivating. Many of Galton's sketches illustrate the book.

Now, in Southwest Africa, people rode oxen more than horses, because of endurance, and ability to withstand disease. One of my vivid memories from the book is that of Galton and one or two companions riding (on oxen) up to the tent of a marauding native chief, surrounded by natives, calling out to the chief and demanding he improve his behaviour - and succeeding.

Well, that was Francis Galton at age 28, and on his first expedition, exhibiting once again the confidence that characterised his approach to life.

His first book, “Tropical South Africa” was published in 1853, when he was 31. Two years later, always trying to make his experiences useful to others, he published “The Art of Travel”; or, “Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries.” This was a very popular book, going through eight editions, the last in 1893, 40 years since the original publication. A reprint was published in 1971. At least six other books were published as a result of the West African adventure.

In 1856, at the age of 34, Francis Galton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Although Francis Galton rarely wrote about his own feelings in personal matters, one who reads about him soon understands that he is very proud of the initials FRS which appear after his name. He and the Royal Society were to gain much from each other in the years ahead.

Galton’s Weather Map, The Times, April 1, 1875. The dotted lines indicate the gradations of barometrical pressure, the figures at the end showing the height, with the words “Rising,” “Falling,” &c, as required. The temperature at the principal stations is marked by figures, the state of the sea and sky by words. The direction and force of the wind are shown by arrows, barbed and feathered according to its force. ¤ denotes calm.

Francis Galton created and had published the world's first weather map, in the London Times. The date was 1 April 1875. Today, we perhaps do not fully appreciate the effort required for such a feat. There were no weather satellites, no sophisticated communications; no computers, and Alexander Graham Bell would not patent the telephone until a year later, in 1876. Galton continued his interest in meteorology, serving on several government committees until the age of 79.