Francis Galton’s eugenics and the Royal Society, 1860–1911

Francis Galton’s Fellowship of the Royal Society spanned the entirety of his eugenic career: he was elected in 1860, five years before he first articulated his eugenic ideas in Macmillan’s Magazine. In this article, I trace the various branches of Galton’s activity in the Royal Society for the first time, including exhibits he presented at soirées, his involvement in the Evolution Committee, and endorsements of candidates for election. In doing so, I establish how, and how far, Galton’s eugenics was connected to his activity within the Royal Society. I argue that although his official roles in the Royal Society were not linked to eugenics, Galton’s activity elsewhere in the organization provided opportunities for him to share ideas related to his eugenic thought and build his claim that eugenics was scientifically legitimate.