Who is William Donald Hamilton from The Selfish Gene and what is their importance?

W.D. Hamilton put a lot of work into the explanation of why related individuals protect one another. Dawkins accepts his thinking and uses much of the math worked out by Hamilton to make his point.

Hamilton published his findings in 1964, but his name is not even mentioned in either of the major ethology text books published in 1970. Dawkins believes the reason for this is simple..... the math is quite complicated, thus, the publishers don't understand the importance of the work. Hamilton studied at Oxford University, and he left behind a body of work which led to the creation of the science of sociobiology. Hamilton's belief that genes drive family behaviors is right in line with Dawkins's theories.