To keep the Eugenics Record Office up and running was a job in itself. Funding had to be obtained, research projects overseen, and field workers taught to collect data. Director Charles B. Davenport gave the ERO its academic credentials, writing papers and lectures with titles like “Do Races Differ in Mental Capacity?” and “A Biologist’s View of the Negro Problem.” Meanwhile Superintendent Harry H. Laughlin was responsible for the day-to-day operations, while also giving expert testimony across the country for sterilization laws and immigration restriction. Lower down the hierarchy, young students, researchers and field workers would learn how to collect information, build pedigree charts, and even put on eugenic plays!
