The American Eugenics Society

• Founded in 1923 by Harry Crampton, Harry Laughlin, Madison Grant, and Henry Fairfield Osborn.
• It was a national eugenics society that spawned 28 state committees and a Southern California branch
• By 1930, over 1,200 people were counted among the members.
  • Notable donors included John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; Irving Fisher, and George Eastman
• Its express purpose was to spearhead the Eugenics movement on a national scale.
• Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the AES promoted its agenda by sponsoring exhibits, lectures, and contests at state and local fairs.
  • Fitter Family Contests pitted family's eugenic history against one another. Judgement included a medical examination for every member of the family that included a psychiatric evaluation.
    • Contests were sponsored at 7 to 10 fairs yearly
    • By 1930, more than 40 sponsors were looking to the AES for help in conducting such contests
    • The 1924 Kansas State Fair passed out Capper Medals to "Grade A Individuals;" these medals were named after a US Senator Capper
    • See a picture of a fit family here

Sources

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