Francis James Gillen (28 October 1855 – 5 June 1912), also known as Frank Gillen and F. J. Gillen, was an early Australian anthropologist and ethnologist. He is known for his work with W. Baldwin Spencer, including their seminal work The Native Tribes of Central Australia (1899). They both worked in central Australia, where Gillen was employed as a telegraph station master, with the Arrernte people and other Indigenous Australians. Life and career Francis James Gillen was born on 28 October 1855 at Little Para, South Australia, the eldest son of Thomas Gillen and Bridget (née McCan). He was also known as Frank. He entered the public service in 1867, and was employed as a postal messenger at Clare. He was transferred to Adelaide in 1871 where his duties also included telegraph operation. In 1875, Gillen became involved in the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line, and was stationed at Charlotte Waters telegraph station from 1875 to 1892. He was appointed the Alice Springs post and telegraph Station Master in 1892. At the time Alice Springs was part of South Australia and Gillen, who by virtue of his office held the collateral positions of Special Magistrate and sub-Protector of Aborigines, was effectively the administrator of central Australia. During his time at Alice Springs he became involved with Aboriginal Australians and in 1894 assisted the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia, soon after which he met Walter Baldwin Spencer. After witnessing and documenting the Engwura festival – a series of public and restricted ceremonies performed by Arrernte people men in 1896 – they worked together to write The Native Tribes of Central Australia (1899). The German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi was very much inspired by this publication. Later, together with Carl Strehlow Leonhardi partly opposed Gillen's and Spencer's theses. In 1900 Gillen was elected president of the anthropological section of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science held at Melbourne. Gillen was transferred from Alice Springs to Moonta in 1899, but in 1901 he was given leave by the South Australian government to join Spencer in an expedition which took them up to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In this journey, the Arrernte artist Erlikilyika (also known as Jim Kite) acted as their guide, interpreter and research assistant. Their journey led to the publication of The Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904). Gillen's final fieldwork endeavour with Spencer was to