Charles Goethe
Encyclopedia
Charles M. Goethe was an American
eugenicist
, entrepreneur
, land developer, philanthropist
, conservationist
, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, and a native and lifelong resident of Sacramento, California
.
’s Forty-Niners, the State’s giant redwood trees
, and loved the outdoors. He and his wife have been called the "The father and mother of the Nature Guide Movement,' initiating interpretive programs with the U.S. [National Park Service]. This was motivated by their experience with nature programs in Europe and desire to educate visitors in the U.S. National Parks. His motto was "Learn to Read the Trail-side as a Book."
(Sacramento State College at the time), which in turn treated Goethe with the reverence of a founding father, appointed him chairman of the University's advisory board, dedicated the Goethe Arboretum
to him in 1961, and organized an elaborate gala and 'national recognition day' to mark his 90th birthday in 1965, when he received letters of appreciation - solicited by his friends at CSUS - from the president of the Nature Conservancy, then-Governor Edmund G. Brown, and then-President Lyndon B. Johnson
. As a result, in 1963, Goethe changed his will to make CSUS his primary beneficiary
, bequeathing his residence, eugenics library, papers, and $640,000 to the University.
When Goethe died, CSUS received the largest share of his $24 million estate.
of the 'socially unfit', opposed immigration
, and praised German
scientists who used a comprehensive sterilization program to 'purify' the Aryan race
before the outbreak of World War II
. Goethe also funded anti-Asian
campaigns, praised the Nazis before and after World War II, and practiced discrimination
in his business dealings, refusing to sell real estate to Mexicans and Asians.
Goethe believed a variety of social successes (wealth, leadership
, intellectual discoveries) and social problems (poverty
, illegitimacy, crime
and mental illness
) could be traced to inherited biological attributes associated with 'racial temperament
'.
Working with the Human Betterment Foundation
in Pasadena, California
, Goethe lobbied the State to restrict immigration from Mexico
and carry out involuntary sterilizations of mostly poor women, defined as 'feeble-minded
' or 'socially inadequate' by medical authorities between 1909 and the 1960s.
Upon return from a trip to Germany 1934, which at the time was sterilizing over 5,000 citizens per month, Goethe reportedly told a fellow eugenicist, "You will be interested to know that your work has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind Hitler in this epoch-making program. Everywhere I sensed that their opinions have been tremendously stimulated by American thought...I want you, my dear friend, to carry this thought with you for the rest of your life, that you have really jolted into action a great government of 60 million people." The Nazi eugenics
movement eventually escalated to become The Holocaust
, which claimed the lives of well over 10 million 'undesirables', including 6 million Jews.
In Sacramento, during Goethe’s life, the advocacy of eugenics
-the social philosophy
of attempting to 'improve' the human population by artificial selection
- was considered a progressive
issue. Though it was opposed by many scientists who thought the understanding of human heredity was too shallow to create solid policy, and by religious leaders who opposed birth control of any form, in the years after the Holocaust it was not considered to be as radical as it is today. Around 20,000 patients in California State psychiatric hospital
were sterilized with minimal or non-existent consent
given between 1909 and 1950, when the law went into general disuse before its repeal in the 1960s. A favorable report by Human Betterment Foundation
workers E.S. Gosney and Paul B. Popenoe, touting the results of the sterilizations in California, was published in the late 1920s, which in turn was often cited by the Nazi government as evidence wide-reaching sterilization programs were feasible and humane. When Nazi administrators went on trial for war crime
s in Nuremberg
after World War II, they justified their mass-sterilizations by pointing at the United States
as their inspiration.
CSUS attempted to name a new science
building after him in 1965, but that effort was rebuffed by students and teachers.
Controversy has recently erupted over the naming of the Goethe Arboretum, located on the north end of the University campus. Derek Hamilton, a History student at CSUS, has started an online petition advocating a name change for the arboretum, contending Goethe's racist views no longer reflect the values of CSUS. Goethe’s own writings, along with a history of eugenics, have been assembled to help the current CSUS community decide what to do in light of his lifelong dedication to eugenics and support of racist causes. Goethe's last recorded donation was to a white supremacist group.
On June 21, 2007, the school board of the Sacramento City Unified School District
voted to rename the "Charles M. Goethe Middle School" to the "Rosa Parks Middle School".
On January 29, 2008, the Sacramento Board of Supervisors stripped his name from one of Sacramento County's busiest parks. On April 25, 2008, the Sacramento Bee reported that, with a nod from Internet voters and the county parks commission, the park will be renamed River Bend Park.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
eugenicist
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, land developer, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, and a native and lifelong resident of Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
.
Nature guide movement
Goethe (German pronunciation: ˈɡøːtə and occasionally incorrectly as "Gaytee" ) wrote admiringly of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
’s Forty-Niners, the State’s giant redwood trees
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
, and loved the outdoors. He and his wife have been called the "The father and mother of the Nature Guide Movement,' initiating interpretive programs with the U.S. [National Park Service]. This was motivated by their experience with nature programs in Europe and desire to educate visitors in the U.S. National Parks. His motto was "Learn to Read the Trail-side as a Book."
Founder of Sacramento State College
Goethe founded California State University, SacramentoCalifornia State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
(Sacramento State College at the time), which in turn treated Goethe with the reverence of a founding father, appointed him chairman of the University's advisory board, dedicated the Goethe Arboretum
Goethe Arboretum
The Charles M. Goethe Arboretum, established in 1959, is a botanical garden situated on the north end of the Sacramento State University campus, at 6000 J Street, Sacramento, California. The arboretum was named in honor of Charles Goethe , a land developer, philanthropist, conservationist,...
to him in 1961, and organized an elaborate gala and 'national recognition day' to mark his 90th birthday in 1965, when he received letters of appreciation - solicited by his friends at CSUS - from the president of the Nature Conservancy, then-Governor Edmund G. Brown, and then-President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. As a result, in 1963, Goethe changed his will to make CSUS his primary beneficiary
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
, bequeathing his residence, eugenics library, papers, and $640,000 to the University.
When Goethe died, CSUS received the largest share of his $24 million estate.
Eugenics controversy
Goethe also recommended compulsory sterilizationCompulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization also known as forced sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization...
of the 'socially unfit', opposed immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, and praised German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scientists who used a comprehensive sterilization program to 'purify' the Aryan race
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Goethe also funded anti-Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
campaigns, praised the Nazis before and after World War II, and practiced discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
in his business dealings, refusing to sell real estate to Mexicans and Asians.
Goethe believed a variety of social successes (wealth, leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
, intellectual discoveries) and social problems (poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, illegitimacy, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
) could be traced to inherited biological attributes associated with 'racial temperament
Temperament
In psychology, temperament refers to those aspects of an individual's personality, such as introversion or extroversion, that are often regarded as innate rather than learned...
'.
Working with the Human Betterment Foundation
Human Betterment Foundation
The Human Betterment Foundation was an American eugenics organization established in Pasadena, California in 1928 by E.S. Gosney with the aim "to foster and aid constructive and educational forces for the protection and betterment of the human family in body, mind, character, and citizenship"...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, Goethe lobbied the State to restrict immigration from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and carry out involuntary sterilizations of mostly poor women, defined as 'feeble-minded
Feeble-minded
The term feeble-minded was used from the late nineteenth century in Great Britain, Europe and the United States to refer to a specific type of "mental deficiency". At the time, mental deficiency was an umbrella term, which encompassed all degrees of educational and social deficiency...
' or 'socially inadequate' by medical authorities between 1909 and the 1960s.
Upon return from a trip to Germany 1934, which at the time was sterilizing over 5,000 citizens per month, Goethe reportedly told a fellow eugenicist, "You will be interested to know that your work has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind Hitler in this epoch-making program. Everywhere I sensed that their opinions have been tremendously stimulated by American thought...I want you, my dear friend, to carry this thought with you for the rest of your life, that you have really jolted into action a great government of 60 million people." The Nazi eugenics
Nazi eugenics
Nazi eugenics were Nazi Germany's racially-based social policies that placed the improvement of the Aryan race through eugenics at the center of their concerns...
movement eventually escalated to become The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, which claimed the lives of well over 10 million 'undesirables', including 6 million Jews.
In Sacramento, during Goethe’s life, the advocacy of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
-the social philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of attempting to 'improve' the human population by artificial selection
Artificial selection
Artificial selection describes intentional breeding for certain traits, or combination of traits. The term was utilized by Charles Darwin in contrast to natural selection, in which the differential reproduction of organisms with certain traits is attributed to improved survival or reproductive...
- was considered a progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
issue. Though it was opposed by many scientists who thought the understanding of human heredity was too shallow to create solid policy, and by religious leaders who opposed birth control of any form, in the years after the Holocaust it was not considered to be as radical as it is today. Around 20,000 patients in California State psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
were sterilized with minimal or non-existent consent
Consent
Consent refers to the provision of approval or agreement, particularly and especially after thoughtful consideration.- Types of consent :*Implied consent is a controversial form of consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather inferred from a person's actions and the facts and...
given between 1909 and 1950, when the law went into general disuse before its repeal in the 1960s. A favorable report by Human Betterment Foundation
Human Betterment Foundation
The Human Betterment Foundation was an American eugenics organization established in Pasadena, California in 1928 by E.S. Gosney with the aim "to foster and aid constructive and educational forces for the protection and betterment of the human family in body, mind, character, and citizenship"...
workers E.S. Gosney and Paul B. Popenoe, touting the results of the sterilizations in California, was published in the late 1920s, which in turn was often cited by the Nazi government as evidence wide-reaching sterilization programs were feasible and humane. When Nazi administrators went on trial for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
after World War II, they justified their mass-sterilizations by pointing at the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as their inspiration.
CSUS attempted to name a new science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
building after him in 1965, but that effort was rebuffed by students and teachers.
Controversy has recently erupted over the naming of the Goethe Arboretum, located on the north end of the University campus. Derek Hamilton, a History student at CSUS, has started an online petition advocating a name change for the arboretum, contending Goethe's racist views no longer reflect the values of CSUS. Goethe’s own writings, along with a history of eugenics, have been assembled to help the current CSUS community decide what to do in light of his lifelong dedication to eugenics and support of racist causes. Goethe's last recorded donation was to a white supremacist group.
On June 21, 2007, the school board of the Sacramento City Unified School District
Sacramento City Unified School District
Sacramento City Unified School District is a school district in Sacramento, California. The district's main office is located at the Serna Center in Sacramento....
voted to rename the "Charles M. Goethe Middle School" to the "Rosa Parks Middle School".
On January 29, 2008, the Sacramento Board of Supervisors stripped his name from one of Sacramento County's busiest parks. On April 25, 2008, the Sacramento Bee reported that, with a nod from Internet voters and the county parks commission, the park will be renamed River Bend Park.
External links
- "The World's Largest Summer Camp," Yosemite Nature Notes 37(7):89-94 (July 1958) by Charles M. Goethe. Traces the origin of nature guiding in National Parks; reprinted from Nature Magazine
- "Nature Study in National Parks Interpretive Movement," Yosemite Nature Notes 39(7):156-158 (July 1960) by Charles M. Goethe
- NewsReview.com - 'Darkness on the edge of campus: University’s philanthropic 'godfather’ was mad about eugenics', Chrisanne Beckner, Sacramento News and ReviewSacramento News and ReviewSacramento News & Review is an alternative weekly newspaper in Sacramento, California. It is one of three papers published by Chico Community Publishing. Noted as the last place of employment of investigative journalist Gary Webb. Webb allegedly committed suicide while working for the...
(February 19, 2004) - SacBee.com - 'Curious historical bedfellows: Sac State and its racist benefactor: After receiving honors aplenty from university, C. M. Goethe left most of his big estate to it', Tony Platt, The Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
(February 29, 2004) - SFGate.com - 'Eugenics and the Nazis—the California connection', Edwin Black, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
(November 9, 2003) - StateHornet.com - 'Online petition seeks to change name of arboretum', David Martin Olson, State Hornet (February 4, 2005)
- TimesOnline.co.uk - 'Liberal California confronts years of forced sterilisation', Chris Ayres, Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
(July 11, 2003) - 'School to erase Goethe name? Staffers say honoring man with racist views insults the students.', Dorothy Korber, "The Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
" (February 15, 2007) - 'Ugly side of philanthropist divides (California State University, Sacramento)', Eric Stern, Bee Staff Writer, "The Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
" (March 1, 2007) - 'Goethe recalled fondly by some', Eric Stern, Bee Staff Writer, "The Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
" (March 2, 2007)