1889-1988

American Geneticist

As author of the "shifting-balance" theory—concerned with how certain gene combinations spread throughout a population—Sewall Wright transformed scientific views concerning evolution. Much of his research was done on guinea pigs, not previously viewed as useful for scientific research; Wright was the first to make use of the creature whose name became virtually synonymous with "laboratory animal." Wright also contributed to genetics by encouraging the use of statistical analysis.

The oldest of three children, Wright was born on December 21, 1889, to Philip, a college professor, and Elizabeth Sewall Wright. A child prodigy who wrote a small book called "The Wonders of Nature" at age seven, Wright was an exceptional student. Intending to study languages, he began his higher education at Lombard College, where his father taught, but a teacher interested him in biology instead. In the summer after his graduation from Lombard in...