MEMOIR

Summary

William bateson, the second child in a family of six, was born at Whitby on 8 August 1861. His father, William Henry, the fifth son of Richard Bateson, a prosperous merchant of Liverpool, was educated at Shrewsbury under Dr Samuel Butler, and at St John's College, Cambridge. He was a sound classical scholar. After reading for the Bar, he took orders, but eventually he settled in Cambridge. He was elected Public Orator in 1848, and Master of his College in 1857.

In the obituary notice by Professor Bonney, he is described as

especially distinguished by a clear logical intellect, by a singularly acute judgement and by a remarkable faculty for seeing the weak points of any scheme or argument. He was an excellent man of business, of great industry and patience, a first-rate chairman of a meeting, discerning its feeling with marvellous intuition.

An outward dignity of demeanour was combined with a real simplicity of character, and beneath a slight external coldness of manner lay a heart remarkably kind.

He married (1857) Anna, the elder daughter of James Aikin, a prominent citizen of Liverpool. The son of a Writer to the Signet in Dumfries, Aikin came to Liverpool at about the age of 15 (1806), and after some few years in a merchant's office set up business on his own account.

He made many very successful voyages, chiefly to the West Indies, and subsequently introduced a fleet of clipper schooners, which at that period were amongst the fastest vessels afloat.