Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy was head of the first meteorological office, begun at the British Board of Trade in 1854. He was already famous as the Captain of the H.M.S. Beagle during Charles Darwin's visit to the Galapogos Islands, and then as the Governor of the New Zealand colony. He inventions included improved barometers and the advent of weather forecasting, including an alert system for approaching storms for British ports. Depressed and with money troubles, he committed suicide at his home outside London. He was 60 years old. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Obituary - Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy," The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, for the Year 1865, Volume 218 (London: John Henry and James Parker, 1865), 788.