Eugenics, both the term and the movement behind it, was the brainchild of Francis Galton (1822–1911), a cousin of Charles Darwin’s; the two shared a common grandfather, Erasmus Darwin. Like Darwin, Galton was born into a wealthy family. The Galtons were highly successful gun manufacturers and bankers. Francis had entered medical school, but upon his father’s death, he inherited enough wealth to travel and to dabble in his scientific interests without having to earn a living (Brace 2005).
