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A project of the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU

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Davenport Desk documents

02 history of measuring 02 2 thumb
01 eugenics lecture announcement 1 thumb
23 davenport 10.10 thumb
01 catalog of medical and anthropometric apparatus 23 thumb
05 schedule for special exam 01 thumb
02 robert dec ward 5.4.1925,tif thumb
01 davenport 1923 diary 15 thumb
01 report of the subcomittee on ultimate program 5 thumb
01 ero mailing list 2 thumb
01 report of the subcomittee on ultimate program 1 thumb
02 directions for coding measurement card 5 thumb
01 john a dix 1911 thumb
06 build a wall 1 thumb
01 history of measuring 01 4 thumb
01 a biologists view of the negro problem 1 thumb
30 davenport 12.19 thumb
02 joint session of era and aes 6.2 2 thumb
02 annual report 7.1.1928 1 thumb
01 postcard 1 thumb
09 personal schedule 01 thumb

As founder and director of the Eugenics Record Office, Harvard-trained biologist Charles Benedict Davenport gave the ERO its academic credentials. A young and ambitious biologist, by 1910 Davenport’s academic interests had shifted from animal morphology and evolution to human heredity, and he successfully lobbied railroad magnate widow and philanthropist Mary Harriman to help found what would become the country’s most influential eugenics research facility. The Davenport Desk files include drafts of his lecture and papers, which sport titles like “Do Races Differ in Mental Capacity?” and “A Biologist’s View of the Negro Problem.” Political and professional correspondences with disciple Harry Laughlin, colleague Madison Grant, and even Teddy Roosevelt lend insight to the pivotal role Davenport played as the visionary and figurehead of American eugenics. Meanwhile, letters to and from his wife and daughters shine a light on the eugenics leader’s personal life.

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