The Significant Life of R.A. Fisher: Mathematician / Statistician / Geneticist

Early Life and Family

Childhood

Fisher as a young boy - Fisher Papers. Series 25.1: Family album c1900-55 ​

Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher was born on the 17th February 1890 in East Finchley, London, to the auctioneer George Fisher and his wife Katie (Heath). He was the last born of their eight children and the second born and survivor of twins. His father was a successful fine arts dealer and partner in the company Robinson and Fisher, which ranked in importance with Sotheby’s or Christie’s. For most of his childhood the family lived very comfortably in Hampstead.

His mother was a lawyer’s daughter whose devotion to the Church of England was later reflected in Fisher’s adherence to the Church. He idolised his intelligent but emotionally distant mother, and their relationship may have influenced Fisher to prefer intellectual connections to emotional attachments (information from Joan Box’s biography.)

His mother died when he was 14 and his father’s business folded when he was 15. The family moved from a luxurious mansion in Hampstead to a small house in one of the poorer parts of London.

Schooling

Fisher was admitted to the lowest form at Stanmore Park preparatory school at the age of 10, but after one term was moved to one of the highest. After his father’s financial collapse, Fisher continued to be educated at Harrow School as a scholarship student. At the early age of 16 he won the Neeld Medal for the best competitive essay on mathematics.

Fisher’s intellectual ability showed at an early age. He was particularly precocious in mathematics, though Arthur Vassal, his biology teacher at Harrow, divided for “sheer brilliance” all those he had ever taught into Fisher and the rest.

His vision was so poor that he was not allowed to read under electric light because of the strain to his eyes. He received oral tuition in mathematics in the evening without use of pencil, paper, or any other visual aid. He developed an exceptional ability to solve mathematical problems in his head with a strong geometrical sense. This early training may account for Fisher’s later ability to work through problems using geometric intuition without any written proofs, a skill which would often confound the understanding of his work among fellow researchers.

• Stanmore Park School reports 1902. Fisher Papers. Series 23. Scrapbook re school and later awards, 1901-33
• Harrow School Entrance Scholarship Mathematics III Exam, March 1904.  Fisher Papers. Series 23. Scrapbook re school and later awards, 1901-33

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Fisher at Graduation 1912 - Fisher Papers. Series 25.1: Family album c1900-55​

In 1909 Fisher won a scholarship to Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge. It was a toss-up as to whether he would specialise in mathematics or natural sciences. As he did not enjoy learning the names and details of biological structures, he decided to study mathematics, believing it was through mathematics he could make the greatest contributions to biology. Nearly all of Fisher’s later statistical work was based on biological material and much of it related to improving experimental techniques.

Fisher passed Mathematical Tripos Part II as a Wrangler in 1912 at the age of 22. He spent a further year at Cambridge with a Studentship in Physics, and studied statistical mechanics, quantum theory and the theory of errors, which heightened his interest in statistics

Although clearly a brilliant mathematician, his tutors were dubious about his future. They were worried that in mathematics he tended to ‘see’ the correct answer and write it down, rather than go through the usual processes of calculation and proof.

In 1913 his studies continued to the end of the academic year, but severe headaches brought on by close work led to medical advice to take up outdoors activities, and he decided to use his remaining scholarship funds to spend the summer working on a Canadian farm.

Marriage and Family

Mrs Eileen Fisher and daughters - Fisher Papers. Series 25 

‘Gudruna’, Fisher’s unconventional friend from Cambridge, introduced him to her sister, Ruth Eileen Guiness. They married without her mother’s consent in 1917 when he was 27 and she was only 17. It was a love match and he was fortunate to find a partner who was prepared to share his eugenic ideals. With Gudruna’s help, they established a subsistence farming operation on the Bradfield estate, raising animals, growing their own food and living frugally and without any labour-saving devices. In the evening they would read aloud and have deep conversations. Eileen would also write down his books by hand.

Fisher enjoyed farming and took pleasure in experimenting with innovations and recording animal husbandry data. He grew particularly fond of pig breeding.

In 1919 they had their first child, a son, George. Fisher lived according to his eugenic convictions that upper classes should have large families and they raised two sons and six daughters. The unconventional Fisher shocked the midwives and doctors by insisting on staying by his wife’s side during the births.

Eileen Fisher worked hard to support her household under primitive conditions and her husband in his research and his professional frustrations. The harsh conditions took their toll on her physical health and Fisher would view any reluctance to serve his wishes or his comforts as an indication that she did not love him (information from Joan Box’s biography.) The marriage ended bitterly when Fisher was appointed as Professor of Genetics at Cambridge in 1943. This year brought further tragedy as his son George died in 1943 while serving his country in the Royal Air Force. 

Home Life

Fisher at home in Harpenden with sons George and Harry - Fisher Papers. Series 25.1: Family album c1900-55

When Fisher accepted the temporary position at Rothamsted, the family (including his sister Phyllis) remained at Great House Cottage at Bradfield where they were happily settled. In 1920 they moved into cottages in the village of Markyate and Fisher would ride to Rothamsted on horseback.

A daughter, Katie, was born but tragically died as a result of swallowing some beach pebbles. Eileen was devastated, but the primitive work in the cottages, pumping and boiling water, chopping firewood and keeping the household fed, kept her occupied. The night hours were again occupied with handiwork, reading and conversation.

The family then moved to Milton Lodge in the middle-class town of Harpenden which was closer to Rothamsted. They confounded the inhabitants with their unconventional lifestyle and unruly children. Fisher’s farming enterprises continued in the large back garden with chickens and goats, an orchard and vegetable beds.

George wished to keep white mice and he presented a pair to his father as a birthday present. One of the pair had dark eyes rather than pale and from then on Fisher kept mouse stocks under genetical study. There were 70 cages of descendants by the time they moved to the Galton Laboratory in 1933.

Fisher entertained guests at Milton Lodge on most weekends, introducing them to his poultry experiments and data collection of rooks nests and other natural species. His home was filled with experimental animal species, and where possible he would integrate the children with his work, helping with the collection of specimens and data. He collected their blood samples to add to serological data, subjected them to taste and intelligence tests and measured their skulls. Fisher enjoyed the company of his own and other children and pushed them to enjoy nature and to question and learn.