The American Eugenics Society
From Dickinson College Wiki
- 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
- 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.
