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 The Eugenics Record Office (ERO), located in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, was the largest and most influential eugenic research organization in the United States. It was established in 1910 through private funding from Mary Harriman, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Carnegie Foundation.
Under the direction of zoologist Charles Davenport, the ERO sponsored numerous educational seminars for teachers and social workers, published eugenic books and pamphlets for the general public, conducted research studies on family histories, and lobbied state legislatures and the federal government to pass sterilization and immigration restriction laws. The ERO also maintained institutional relationships with other eugenic researchers and organizations across the world, especially with German racial hygienists during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1939 the ERO closed down after the Carnegie Foundation withdrew its financial support because of its political activities and flawed scientific research.
Today, at the original site of the ERO, the records from the defunct organization have been made available to the public through a digital archive. (http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/).
* Photo: Archives room at the Eugenics Record Office, circa 1921. Source: Eugenics Archives (http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/)
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