Editing Clements Markham (section)

=== President, 1893–1905 ===
[[File:Clements_Markham_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Markham as President of the Royal Geographical Society]]
In May 1888, Markham resigned from his position as RGS Secretary, finding himself at odds with the Society's new policies which appeared to favour education over exploration.<ref>Jones, p.&nbsp;38.</ref> On his retirement he was awarded the Society's [[Founder's Medal]] for what were described at the presentation ceremony as his "incomparable services to the Society".<ref>A. Markham, p.&nbsp;286.</ref>

The next few years were filled with travel and writing. There were further cruises with the training squadron, and extended visits to the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] and the Mediterranean. In 1893, during the course of one of these journeys, Markham was elected ''in absentia'' president of the society. This unexpected elevation was the result of a dispute within the Society over the question of women members, about which Markham had kept silent. When in July 1893, the issue was put to a special general meeting, the proposal to admit women was narrowly defeated despite an overwhelming postal ballot in favour. In these circumstances the Society's President, Sir [[M. E. Grant Duff]], resigned his office. The 22&nbsp;existing women members were allowed to remain, but no more were admitted until January 1913 when the RGS changed its policy.<ref>{{cite web|title= RGS Additional Papers: election of women as Fellows|website= AIM25|url= http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=10688&inst_id=10&nv1=search&nv2=|access-date= 6 May 2009|archive-date= 25 May 2024|archive-url= https://archive.today/20240525234439/https://www.webcitation.org/67YnzwXgP?url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail%3Fcoll_id=10688|url-status= dead}}</ref>

Although Markham was not the first choice as a replacement for Grant Duff—other notable figures were approached—he had kept out of the women members controversy and was broadly acceptable to the membership.<ref>Jones, pp.&nbsp;51–56.</ref> Shortly after his accession to the presidency, in recognition of his services to geography Markham was promoted [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]], and became Sir Clements Markham.<ref name= Baigent/>

In a letter written many years later, Markham said that on the assumption of the presidency he had felt the need, after the dispute over women, to "restore the Society's good name" by the adoption of some great enterprise. He chose Antarctic exploration as the basis for this mission;<ref>Jones, p.&nbsp;57.</ref> there had been no significant Antarctic exploration by any country since Sir [[James Clark Ross]]'s expedition fifty years previously.<ref>Coleman, p.&nbsp;239.</ref> A new impetus was provided through a lecture given to the RGS in 1893, by the oceanographer [[John Murray (oceanographer)|John Murray]], calling for "an expedition to resolve the outstanding questions still posed in the south."<ref name= Crane75>Crane, p.&nbsp;75.</ref> In response to Murray the RGS and the [[Royal Society]] formed a joint committee, to campaign for a British Antarctic expedition.<ref name= Jones57/>