["Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, Volume 35, Issue 3, September 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nOur contribution provides an overview of Wilfrid Le Gros Clark's early life and career, his developing interest in human evolution, and how invitations from Robert Broom and Louis Leakey encouraged him to visit South Africa to see the southern African hominin fossil evidence at firsthand. That experience converted Le Gros Clark from being skeptical of Dart and Broom's interpretations to being one of their foremost supporters. Le Gros Clark's conversion resulted in a brief but heated dispute involving Solly Zuckerman that led to Le Gros Clark focusing on the interpretation of the early fossil evidence for human evolution for the rest of his career, while Zuckerman shifted his attention to science policy. The combination of Le Gros Clark's considerable reputation and his steadfast support were crucial elements in the development of paleoanthropology within Africa."]