Family Tree Tuesday – Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley was a prominent English writer best known for his dystopian novel, Brave New World. Well regarded within academic circles, many viewed him as a leader in modern thought. Huxley was born into a highly educated and prominent English family. Members of the Huxley Family found success in various fields, ranging from medicine and science to arts and literature.

Huxley was born in Surrey, England to Leonard Huxley, a writer and schoolteacher, and Julia Arnold. His paternal grandfather was famous biologist, Thomas Henry Huxley. He was known as “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his advocacy of Charles Darwin‘s theory of evolution and became instrumental in developing scientific education in Britain.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Leonard and Julia’s eldest son, Julian Huxley, became an evolutionary biologist and co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). After the death of Julia, Leonard married Rosalind Bruce. They had two additional sons, David Bruce Huxley and Nobel Prize winning physiologist  Andrew Huxley. Interestingly, the daughter of David Bruce Huxley, Angela, went on to marry George Darwin, the great grandson of prominent naturalist Charles Darwin.

In 1919, Aldous married his first wife Maria Nijs. Together they had one child, Matthew Huxley, who became a prominent epidemiologist and anthropologist. In 1956, after the death of his first wife, Aldous married author Laura Archera. They were married until his death in 1963.

Check out Aldous Huxley’s family tree!

Aldous Huxley's family tree