How did Charles B. Davenport support the American eugenics movement?

Charles B. Davenport was a central figure in the American eugenics movement, leveraging his background as a zoologist to promote the application of genetic principles to human populations. His support for the movement included several key actions:12

• Founding the Eugenics Record Office (ERO): In 1910, Davenport founded and directed the ERO at Cold Spring Harbor, New York. This institution served as a national clearinghouse for eugenics data, training fieldworkers to collect information on family traits and advising on the eugenic fitness of marriages.13
• Scientific Advocacy: Davenport was among the first to apply Mendelian theory to human heredity. In his 1911 work, Heredity in Relation to Eugenics, he compiled evidence to argue that applying genetic principles could improve the human race.1
• Institutional Leadership: He directed the department of genetics at the Station for Experimental Evolution and served as an editor for influential publications like Genetics and the Journal of Physical Anthropology, which helped disseminate eugenic ideas.1

Davenport’s work, including his later research on race crossing, promoted scientifically invalid views on racial purism. His legacy is deeply marred by these racist assumptions and his collaboration with eugenicists in Nazi Germany, which raised profound ethical and moral concerns.1