Munsey's Magazine, September 1907

This article examines the popular belief that sons of clergymen "turn out badly," challenging Francis Galton's 1869 conclusions that ministers' sons are prone to failure. Author D. O. S. Lowell analyzes statistical evidence from Who's Who in America, finding that clergymen's sons are dramatically overrepresented among American leaders—appearing at nearly one in twelve distinguished men versus the expected ratio of one in 221. Among 898 clergymen's sons documented, the author catalogs 188 clergy, 87 university presidents, 179 full professors, 79 lawyers, 97 authors, 82 editors, 74 physicians, plus 11 congressmen, military officers, artists, and specialists in science and letters. Notable examples include Presidents Cleveland and Arthur, Justice Field, and writers James Russell Lowell and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The article concludes clergymen's sons exceed the nation's average achievement significantly, contradicting the traditional "popular fallacy."