Karl Pearson FRS (/ˈpɪərsən/; originally named Carl; 27 March 1857 – 27 April 1936[2]) was an influential English mathematician and biometrician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics,[3][4] and contributed significantly to the field of biometrics, meteorology, theories of social Darwinism and eugenics.[5] A major proponent of eugenics, Pearson was also a protégé and biographer of Sir Francis Galton.