John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury

About John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury

John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury, known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet, from 1865 until 1900, was an English banker, Liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist and polymath. Lubbock worked in his family company as a banker but made significant contributions in archaeology, ethnography, and several branches of biology. He coined the terms "Palaeolithic" and "Neolithic" to denote the Old and New Stone Ages, respectively. He helped establish archaeology as a scientific discipline, and was influential in debates concerning evolutionary theory. He introduced the first law for the protection of the UK's archaeological and architectural heritage. He promoted the establishment of public libraries and was also a founding member of the X Club. Bank holidays were also introduced to the UK from 1871 thanks to an Act of Parliament that he promoted.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.