Karl Pearson

English mathematician, biometrician, and eugenicist (1857–1936)
Person human Q310794
Karl Pearson
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Karl Pearson

Summary

Karl Pearson is a human[1]. His place of birth was London[2]. He was born on March 27, 1857[3]. He died in Coldharbour[4]. He died on April 27, 1936[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], historian of mathematics[7], statistician[8], historian[9], and philosopher[10]. He has Wikipedia articles in 26 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in London[2], Karl Pearson…
  • Karl Pearson passed away in Coldharbour[4].
  • Karl Pearson was born on March 27, 1857[3].
  • Karl Pearson died on April 27, 1936[5].
  • Karl Pearson is buried at Church of St Michael[12].
  • Karl Pearson's father was William Pearson[13].
  • A child of Karl Pearson was Egon Pearson[14].
  • A child of Karl Pearson was Helga Sharpe Pearson[15].
  • Karl Pearson held citizenship in United Kingdom[16].
  • Karl Pearson's professions included mathematician[6].
  • Karl Pearson worked as a historian of mathematics[7].
  • Karl Pearson worked as a statistician[8].
  • Karl Pearson's professions included historian[9].
  • Karl Pearson worked as a philosopher[10].
  • Karl Pearson's professions included biographer[17].
  • Karl Pearson's field of work was mathematical statistics[18].
  • Karl Pearson's field of work was statistics[19].
  • Karl Pearson's field of work was biology[20].
  • Karl Pearson's field of work was eugenics[21].
  • Among Karl Pearson's employers was University College London[22].
  • Among Karl Pearson's employers was Gresham College[23].
  • Among Karl Pearson's employers was King's College London[24].
  • Karl Pearson was educated at King's College[25].
  • Karl Pearson was educated at University College London[26].
  • Karl Pearson's education included a stint at King's College London[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Karl Pearson was born in London[2]. He was born on March 27, 1857[3]. His father was William Pearson[13].

Education

Educated at King's College[25], a college of the University of Cambridge[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1441[30], headquartered in Cambridge[31]; University College London[26], a university college[32], in United Kingdom[33], founded in 1826[34], headquartered in UCL Main Building[35]; King's College London[27], a public research university[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1829[38], headquartered in London[39]; Heidelberg University[40], a public research university[41], in Germany[42], founded in 1386[43], headquartered in Heidelberg[44]; University of Cambridge[45], a collegiate university[46], in United Kingdom[47], founded in 1209[48], headquartered in Cambridge[49]; and University College School[50], an independent school[51], in United Kingdom[52], founded in 1830[53], headquartered in Hampstead[54]. Karl Pearson's doctoral advisor was Francis Galton[55].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], historian of mathematics[7], statistician[8], historian[9], philosopher[10], and biographer[17]. Fields of work include mathematical statistics[18], a branch of mathematics[56]; statistics[19], an academic major[57]; biology[20], a branch of science[58]; and eugenics[21], a social theory[59]. Employers include University College London[22], a university college[60], in United Kingdom[61], founded in 1826[62], headquartered in UCL Main Building[63]; Gresham College[23], an educational institution[64], in United Kingdom[65], founded in 1597[66]; and King's College London[24], a public research university[67], in United Kingdom[68], founded in 1829[69], headquartered in London[70]. Notable students include Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen[71] and Kirstine Smith[72]. Doctoral students include John Wishart[73], Florence Nightingale David[74], Philip Hall[75], Joseph Oscar Irwin[76], and George Udny Yule[77].

Recognition

Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society[78], a fellowship award[79], in United Kingdom[80]; Huxley Memorial Medal[81]; Darwin Medal[82]; and Weldon Memorial Prize[83].

Personal Life

Children include Egon Pearson[14], a mathematician[84], 1895–1980[85], of United Kingdom[86], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[87], specialised in statistics[88] and Helga Sharpe Pearson[15], a biographer[89], 1898–1975[90]. Karl Pearson's religion is recorded as Quakers[91].

Death and Burial

Karl Pearson died on April 27, 1936[5]. He passed away in Coldharbour[4]. He is buried at Church of St Michael[12].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Karl Pearson include Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient[92], Pearson distribution[93], and Pearson's chi-squared test[94].

Why It Matters

Karl Pearson has Wikipedia articles in 26 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11] He is known by 16 alternative names across languages and contexts.[95]

He has been cited as an influence by Julia Bell[96], a geneticist[97], 1879–1979[98], of United Kingdom[99], awarded the Weldon Memorial Prize[100], specialised in genetics[101]; Albert Einstein[102], a theoretical physicist[103], 1879–1955[104], of Kingdom of Württemberg[105], awarded the Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science[106], specialised in theoretical physics[107]; Major Greenwood[108], an epidemiologist[109], 1880–1949[110], of United Kingdom[111], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[112], specialised in epidemiology[113]; Philip Hall[114], a mathematician[115], 1904–1982[116], of United Kingdom[117], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[118], specialised in algebra[119]; and Lewis Fry Richardson[120], a cartographer[121], 1881–1953[122], of United Kingdom[123], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[124], specialised in physics[125].

He is credited with the discovery of contingency table[126] and Simpson's paradox[127], a paradox[128]. Works attributed to him include Biometrika[129], a scientific journal[130], in United Kingdom[131], founded in 1901[132]. Entities named for him include Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient[92], Pearson distribution[93], and Pearson's chi-squared test[94].

His notable doctoral advisees include Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen[133], Philip Hall[134], Florence Nightingale David[135], George Udny Yule[136], and John Wishart[137].

FAQs

Where was Karl Pearson born?

Born in London[2], Karl Pearson…

Where did Karl Pearson die?

Karl Pearson died in Coldharbour[4].

Who were Karl Pearson's parents?

Karl Pearson's father was William Pearson[13].

What did Karl Pearson do for work?

Karl Pearson worked as mathematician[6], historian of mathematics[7], statistician[8], historian[9], and philosopher[10].

Where did Karl Pearson go to school?

Karl Pearson was educated at King's College[25], University College London[26], King's College London[27], and Heidelberg University[40].

What awards did Karl Pearson receive?

Honors received include Fellow of the Royal Society[78], Huxley Memorial Medal[81], Darwin Medal[82], and Weldon Memorial Prize[83].

Who did Karl Pearson influence?

Karl Pearson has been cited as an influence by Julia Bell[96], Albert Einstein[102], Major Greenwood[108], and Philip Hall[114].

What did Karl Pearson discover?

Karl Pearson is credited as discoverer of contingency table[126] and Simpson's paradox[127].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . Who's Who. wikidata.org.
  4. [16] . wikidata.org.
  5. [14] . wikidata.org.
  6. [15] . wikidata.org.
  7. [25] . Who's Who. wikidata.org.
  8. [26] . wikidata.org.
  9. [27] . wikidata.org.
  10. [40] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [45] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  12. [50] . Who's Who. wikidata.org.
  13. [18] . wikidata.org.
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  24. [23] . wikidata.org.
  25. [24] . wikidata.org.
  26. [12] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  27. [91] . wikidata.org.
  28. [78] . Who's Who. wikidata.org.
  29. [81] . therai.org.uk. therai.org.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  30. [82] . wikidata.org.
  31. [83] . wikidata.org.
  32. [55] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [73] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  34. [74] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  35. [75] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  36. [76] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  37. [77] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  38. [3] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  39. [5] . Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  40. [71] . wikidata.org.
  41. [72] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  2. [95] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Karl Pearson. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/karl-pearson
MLA “Karl Pearson.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/karl-pearson.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_karl-pearson_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Karl Pearson}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/karl-pearson}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Karl Pearson — https://4ort.xyz/entity/karl-pearson (retrieved 2026-04-10)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 9d ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 409065
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14536]]: 409065, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  2. 7w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    P14396 register/person/arh-zPER_00618
    Plaque image ['Karl Pearson 1857-1936 Pioneer Statistician lived here.JPG', 'Pearson Memorial
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P1801]]: Pearson Memorial Crambe.jpg"
  3. 8w ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Doctoral student John Wishart, Florence Nightingale David, Philip Hall +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
  4. 8w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Spouse Q89413396
    Birth name Carl Pearson
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P26]]: [[Q89413396]]"
  5. 8w ago · Ferran Mir · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Position held Q1607826
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P39]]: [[Q1607826]]"
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