Frank Wallace Galton (2 November 1867''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 9 April 1952), sometimes known as Frank Wallis Galton, was an English political writer and journalist who was secretary to Sidney and Beatrice Webb and later to the Fabian Society. In 1929, he was appointed to the Royal Commission on Transport.

Early life

Frank Galton was born in 1867,"Mr. F.W. Galton", ''The Times'', 12 April 1952, p. 8. in St. Pancras, London. He was educated at a board school and as an adult at the Working Men's College in

Great Ormond Street Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

Family

Galton married Jessie Jane Townsend Cottridge in 1899 and the couple had two children, Beatrice Jessie Galton, and

Dorothy Constance Galton Dorothy Constance Galton (14 October 1901 – 27 August 1992) was a British university administrator who was suspected by the British security services of being a Russian spy. Born in north London into a family with strong left-wing links, she wa ...

who was born on 14 October 1901 at 66 Rathcoole Avenue,

Hornsey Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner Lo ...

, London. At the time of the 1911 census, the family was living at 49 Bounds Green Road,

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district in the borough of Haringey in London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms a maj ...

, London.1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription.
Retrieved 22 February 2016. Dorothy went on to be administrative secretary of the

School of Slavonic and East European Studies The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES ) is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history, ...

in London, and was under some form of surveillance by the British security services for most of her working life as a suspected Russian spy.Beekeeper was spy for Stalin.
Duncan Gardham, ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', 1 September 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2016. Beatrice married Albert Evans, the Labour Party member of Parliament for South West Islington. Jessie Galton died in February 1953.

Career

Galton was originally apprentice to a silversmith and engraver in the City of London but left that for journalism and politics. From 1892 to 1898, Galton was secretary to Beatrice and Sidney Webb, and secretary to the London Reform Union from 1898. For some years he was secretary to the City of London Liberal Association. Between 1918 and 1920, he edited the ''Municipal Journal'' and he was then appointed secretary of the Fabian Society where he remained until his retirement in 1939.Karl Showler
"Galton, Dorothy Constance (1901–1992)"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Online edition. Retrieved 19 January 2016. In 1929, he was appointed to the Royal Commission on Transport."Royal Commission On Transport", ''The Times'', 17 September 1929, p. 14. Galton published little in extended form or under his own name but was a prolific producer of articles, pamphlets and leaflets. According to ''The Times'', he was a liberal at heart rather than a socialist, and thought to be the model for the character of Henry Straker in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's play '' Man and Superman'' (1903).

Death

Galton died at his home in Hertfordshire on 9 April 1952.

Selected publications

*''Trade unionists and politics''. Fabian Society, 1895. ( Fabian Tract No. 65) *''Select documents illustrating the history of trade unionism: 1, The tailoring trade''. 1896. (Editor)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galton, Frank People from St Pancras, London 1867 births 1952 deaths English journalists English political writers General Secretaries of the Fabian Society Members of the Fabian Society