Alfred Russel Wallace

1823-1913

English Naturalist, Explorer and Surveyor

Alfred Russel Wallace reached the conclusion that natural selection is the mechanism for evolution as did Charles Darwin, making him co-discoverer of the idea in the eyes of most historians. Although his work occurred twenty years later than did Darwin's, it propelled Darwin to publish his own theory of evolution—today considered one of the titanic achievements in the history of science. Wallace was the first naturalist to mount an expedition specifically to find proof of this theory. Collecting specimens in southeast Asia, he also noted a dividing line between animal species from Asia and Australia, still called the Wallace line.

Alfred Russel Wallace was born in Wales in 1823, the eighth of nine children. He went to school in Hertford, but formal education ended when he was sent to live with his brother William in London in 1836. He was an avid reader and never stopped learning.

Alfred made a small living apprenticed to his brother, a surveyor. He studied local plants, animals, and geology during surveying trips and collected fossils. When there was no more work, he was apprenticed to a watchmaker. Here he learned engraving and chemistry.

He then worked as a teacher, keeping just ahead of his students by reading. At this time he met Henry Bates, an entomologist interested in beetles and butterflies. They remained lifelong friends.

Alfred got a job surveying for a new railway, earning enough money to take an expedition to South America with Bates to study species in 1848. Wallace was 25 years old. Four years later, he returned home, but on the way his ship was destroyed by fire. He lost many of the specimens he had collected. Fortunately, he had sent some specimens home, which he then sold to museums and collectors. He met members of the Zoological and Entomological Society of London and was aided by Thomas Huxley (1825-1895), a friend of Darwin, to publish his first article in 1853.

Later, Wallace embarked alone on an expedition to the Malay Archipelago, where he remained for eight years. It was the most significant period of his life, during which time he developed his theory of evolution and natural selection, observed differences between animals of same species in different locations, and wrote many articles. One—"On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type"—he sent to Charles Darwin (1809-1882). When Darwin received it, he was shocked to know someone else had reached the same conclusions he had. On July 1, 1858, a short treatise by Darwin and Wallace's paper were read jointly to a meeting of the Linnean Society. The occasion established Darwin's priority on the subject but showed that Wallace was co-discoverer of these evolutionary ideas. Most of Darwin's landmark book, Origin of the Species, was written by that point, and it was much more detailed thanWallace's own writings. Wallace acknowledged this in a letter to Darwin. They differed on many aspects of the subject and engaged in a lively correspondence for years.

Wallace returned to England in 1862, sold most of his specimens, invested the money in railroad stocks, and settled down in Dorset. With a steady income, he gave lectures and wrote about his ideas and travels. In the next 50 years, he wrote 24 books, 240 articles, 100 reviews, and countless letters. When he was 72, he went on a natural history collecting expedition to Switzerland. He received prizes and medals, was elected to the Royal Society, and was generally respected for his work. His last book was published just before he died in 1913.

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