Editing Karl Pearson (section)

==Career==
[[File:Portrait_of_Karl_Pearson.jpg|thumb|1890 photo of a young Karl Pearson]]His next career move was to the [[Inner Temple]], where he read law until 1881 (although he never practised). After this, he returned to mathematics, deputising for the mathematics professor at [[King's College, London]] in 1881 and for the professor at [[University College, London|University College London]] in 1883. In 1884, he was appointed to the Goldsmid Chair of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics at University College London. Pearson became the editor of ''Common Sense of the Exact Sciences'' (1885) when [[William Kingdon Clifford]] died. 1891 saw him also appointed to the professorship of [[Geometry]] at [[Gresham College]]; here he met [[Walter Frank Raphael Weldon]], a zoologist who had some interesting problems requiring quantitative solutions.<ref>[[William B. Provine|Provine, William B.]] (2001). ''The Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics''. University of Chicago Press, p.&nbsp;29.</ref> The collaboration, in [[biometry]] and [[evolution]]ary theory, was a fruitful one and lasted until Weldon died in 1906.<ref>[[James W. Tankard Jr.|Tankard Jr., James W.]] (1984). ''The Statistical Pioneers'', Schenkman Pub. Co.</ref> Weldon introduced Pearson to [[Charles Darwin]]'s cousin [[Francis Galton]], who was interested in aspects of evolution such as heredity and [[eugenics]]. Pearson became Galton's protégé.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Magnello |first=Eileen |date=April 2004 |title=Statistically unlikely |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/428699a |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=428 |issue=6984 |pages=699 |doi=10.1038/428699a |bibcode=2004Natur.428..699M |issn=1476-4687}}</ref>

After Galton's death in 1911, Pearson embarked on producing his definitive biography—a three-volume tome of narrative, letters, genealogies, commentaries, and photographs—published in 1914, 1924, and 1930, with much of Pearson's own money paying for their print runs. The biography, done "to satisfy myself and without regard to traditional standards, to the needs of publishers or to the tastes of the reading public", triumphed Galton's life, work and personal heredity. He predicted that Galton, rather than [[Charles Darwin]], would be remembered as the most prodigious grandson of [[Erasmus Darwin]].

When Galton died, he left the residue of his estate to the [[University of London]] for a chair in Eugenics. Pearson was the first holder of this chair—the ''Galton Chair of Eugenics'', later the ''Galton Chair of Genetics''<ref>Blaney, Tom (2011). ''The Chief Sea Lion's Inheritance: Eugenics and the Darwins''. Troubador Pub., p.&nbsp;108. Also see Pearson, Roger (1991). ''Race, Intelligence and Bias in Academe''. Scott-Townsend Publishers.</ref>—in accordance with Galton's wishes. Pearson formed the Department of Applied Statistics (with financial support from the [[Drapers' Company]]), which combined the Biometric and [[Galton Laboratory|Galton Laboratories]]. He remained with the department until his retirement in 1933, and continued to work until his death.