Sir George Smyth Baden-Powell was born on December 24, 1847, in Oxfordshire, England, a son of the reverend and mathematician Baden Powell (1796-1860).

He was a British naval officer, politician, and author. He received his education at St. Paul's School, London, England, Marlborough College, Balliol College, and Inner Temple of Oxford University (M.A.; LL. D). In 1884, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.) and in 1888, Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (K.C.M.G.). He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Liverpool, Kirkdale division, from 1885 to 1898. In 1896, he sailed to Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic region on his yacht "Otaria" to observe the total solar eclipse of the year. He then returned to Wald, Norway, to meet his friend Fritjof Nansen, who had just returned from a three-year North Pole expedition. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society. Baden-Powell authored books on political, financial, and colonial topics.

In 1893, he married Frances Annie Wilson (1862-1913). He died on November 20, 1898, in London, England.