Person Bateson; William (1861 - 1926); biologist Bateson William biologist 1861 - 1926 British Male St Hilda's Terrace, Ruswarp, near Whitby, Yorkshire, England 08 August 1861 18610808 Manor House, Watery Lane, Merton, Surrey, England 08/02/1926 19260208 Cremation: Golders Green Crematorium (12 February 1926)

St John's College, Cambridge (1890)

biologist Cytology Morphology Genetics Education: Rugby School (1875–9); St John's College, Cambridge MA Career: Professor of biology at the University of Cambridge (1908-1910); directed an informal school of genetics at Cambridge (1900-1910) with the group comprising predominantly of women associated with Newham College, Cambridge, prior to Mendelism being recognised as a legitimate field of study; the results of experiments carried out by this group supported and extended Medel’s laws of heredity (1902-1910); became director of the John Innes Horticultural Institution (1910) where he became interested in the chromosome theory of heredity and promoted the study of cytology by the appointment of W.C.F Newton, and Cyril Dean Darlington (FRS 1941) (1923); founded The Genetics Society (1919); become a trustee of the British Museum (1922). Parents: William Henry Bateson (1812–1881), master of St John's College, Cambridge, and Anna Aikin (1829–1918), daughter of James Aikin (1792–1878), Liverpool shipping merchant. Spouse: Beatrice Durham, daughter of a senior surgeon at Guy's Hospital, Arthur Edward Durham (1834–1895) (1889). Children: Three sons: John was killed in the First World War in 1918, Martin committed suicide in 1922, and Gregory Bateson (1904–1980) had a distinguished career in social anthropology and psychology. A cousin of the grandfather of Patrick Bateson FRS. Known for heredity and biological inheritance; he was the first person to use the term genetics to describe the study of heredity, and the chief populariser of the ideas of Gregor Mendel following their rediscovery in 1900 by Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns. Opposition to the emerging experimental tradition began in the biometric school led by Karl Pearson (FRS 1896) and Bateson's former close associate at Cambridge, Walter Frank Raphael Weldon (FRS 1890). The rift between Weldon and Bateson began around 1890 when Bateson criticised orthodox Darwinism. Additionally, they were academic competitors, and tensions escalated when Bateson assumed control of the Royal Society's evolution committee, redirecting its funds away from Weldon's biometric research. The ensuing dispute between biometricians and Mendelians became infamous. Bateson vehemently ridiculed his opponents, who remained supportive of Francis Galton's (FRS 1860) ancestral theory of inheritance. Initially, Bateson acknowledged the possibility of two forms of heredity—ancestral for continuously varying traits and Mendelian for discontinuously varying ones. However, he later argued that the ancestral theory was merely a subset of the broader Mendelian framework. In contrast, Weldon initially criticized the Mendelian theory but later adjusted his stance to incorporate it within the ancestral theory, which he considered foundational, once convinced of its validity. Medals and prizes: Darwin Medal 1904; Royal Medal 1920 Lectures: Croonian 1920 Committees: Evolution committee Fellow 07/06/1894 33 Walter Frank Raphael Weldon; George Gabriel Stokes; Thomas George Bonney; Edward Bagnall Poulton; George Murray Humphry; Arthur Newton; David Sharp; Osbert Salvin; Charles Scott Sherrington John Lubbock; Adamm Sedgwick; Thomas Henry Huxley; William Henry Flower; St George Mivart; John Newport Langley; Alex Macalister; Francis Darwin; Geo John Romanes; Arthur Milnes Marshall; Francis Galton Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DSB; DNB Patrick Bateson, 'William Bateson, Archibald Garrod and the Nature of the "Inborn"' in 'A Century of Mendelism in human genetics' ed M Keynes et al Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series B 1927 vol 101 pp i-v, plate, signed by J B F References: A D Boney, 'The Summer of 1914: Diary of a Botanist' in NR 1998 vol 52 pp 323-338 R D Harvey, 'Pioneers of Genetics: A Comparison of the Attitudes of William Bateson and Erwin Baur to Eugenics' in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 105-117, plate A G Cock, 'Chauvinism and Internationalism in Science: The International Research Council, 1919-1926' in NR 1982-83 vol 37 pp 249-288 Rose Scott-Moncrieff, 'The Classical Period in Chemical Genetics. Recollections of Muriel Wheldale Onslow, Robert and Gertrude Robinson and J B S Haldane' in NR 1981-82 vol 36 pp 125-154 Sir Gavin de Beer, 'Mendel, Darwin, and Fisher (1865-1965)' in NR 1964 vol 19 pp 192-226 R C Punnett, 'William Bateson and Mendel's Principles of Heredity' in NR 1952 vol 9 pp 336-347 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.1927.0027 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Bateson%2C+William RCN 18637 RCN 18639 RCN 18640 RCN 18636 RCN 26856 RCN 26858 RCN 16397 RCN 26857 8 Aug 1861 - 8 Feb 1926 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 20/03/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8118 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/46821482 a723c24b-4224-4c48-9da3-97bb5b8e5f3b