Clements Markham
A Victorian mapmaker who planted the British flag in Antarctica by masterminding Scott's first expedition and shaping polar exploration.
1830–1916 (age 86)·British geographer·Birthday: July 20
Biography
Clements Markham’s life was a grand Victorian project of geographical ambition. As a young naval cadet, he tasted adventure in the Arctic, a spark that never left him. His true power, however, was wielded from behind a desk at London’s Royal Geographical Society, where he served as secretary and later president for decades. Markham was a formidable institution-builder and a relentless talent scout, obsessed with restoring British prestige in polar exploration. He personally championed a young naval officer, Robert Falcon Scott, and orchestrated the complex funding and launch of the Discovery Expedition, the first major British Antarctic venture in sixty years. While later criticized for favoring naval tradition over emerging expertise, his drive made the 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration a British affair. He was also a prolific writer and historian, forever shaping the narrative of discovery.
#1 When Clements Was Born
The biggest hits of 1830
Clements's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1830Born
1835Started school
1843Became a teenager
1846Could drive
1848Could vote
1851Turned 21
1860Turned 30
1870Turned 40
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Turned 50
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1890Turned 60
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 70
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 80
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1916Died at 86
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Served as the driving force behind the Royal Geographical Society for over 25 years, first as Secretary (1863-1888) and then as President.
- Personally selected Robert Falcon Scott to lead the groundbreaking British National Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904).
- Successfully campaigned for and organized the funding and logistics for Scott's Discovery Expedition, reviving British polar exploration.
- Authored numerous books on geography and exploration history, including works on the Inca and polar voyages.
Did You Know?
As a teenager, he served on the HMS Collingwood in the Pacific and helped survey the coast of South America.
He introduced the cultivation of cinchona trees (the source of quinine) from South America to India, a project of major medical importance.
He was the cousin and guardian of the polar explorer Sir Albert Hastings Markham.
Markham fiercely advocated for the use of man-hauling sledges over dogs, a decision that later impacted Scott's fatal South Pole journey.
“The work of exploring the Earth is nearly finished; the work of exploring the ice-caps has hardly begun.”
