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Paul Popenoe papers, 1874-2016

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Popenoe, Paul, 1888-1979
Title
Paul Popenoe papers
Dates
1874-2016 (inclusive)
Quantity
98.15 cubic ft. (203 boxes)
Collection Number
04681
Summary
The collection contains case files and correspondence regarding the American Institute of Family Relations, which Paul Bowman Popenoe founded in 1929. Also included are printed columns; scripts from radio and television programs; and manuscripts of and articles authored by this prolific writer whose interests included biology, eugenics, heredity, social hygiene, family relations, marriage counseling, and sex education in schools.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public. However, Series V, Sub-series 2 contains patient names. To protect their identity, their names may not be cited in any published or unpublished work. Therefore, researchers who use these papers must sign an agreement to respect the confidentiality of the personal data in boxes 145-166.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Paul Bowman Popenoe was born in 1888. He was an author, lecturer, and research worker in biology, eugenics, heredity, social hygiene, and family relations. He attended Occidental College from 1905 until 1907. He transferred to Stanford University in 1907 for his junior year but had to leave school to care for his father and run the family business, a fruit farm in the Coachella Valley, California. In 1911, on behalf of his father he traveled through the Middle East, South Africa, India, and Europe exploring agricultural practices. He returned home in 1913 with 16,000 date palm specimens.

Although he continued to work with dates until 1935, his real interest was in eugenics. From 1913 until 1917 he worked as editor of the Journal of Heredity. Late in World War I, in 1917, Popenoe assisted the medical section chief of the Council for National Defense before being drafted and commissioned on the staff of the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army Sanitary Corps. After the war, he returned to the Coachella Valley to grow dates. In 1926, he became secretary and director of research for the Human Betterment Foundation in Pasadena, which was devoted chiefly to the spread of eugenic principles. He remained there until 1931. In 1929, he received an honorary doctorate in science from Occidental College.

In 1929 he founded the American Institute for Family Relations and remained its director until 1976. While director, he also had nationally syndicated daily newspaper columns, “Modern Marriage” and “Your Family and You,” was host of a television program, “Divorce Hearing,” and a regular guest on Art Linkletter’s “House Party” and other radio and television shows. He had an advice column “Can This Marriage Be Saved” in the Ladies Home Journal from 1953 until 1976. From 1933 to 1947 he lectured in biology at the University of Southern California.

His books include Date Growing in the New and Old World, 1913; Applied Eugenics, 1918 and 1933; Modern Marriage, 1925; The Conservation of the Family, 1926; Problems of Human Reproduction, 1926; The Child’s Heredity, 1929; Sterilization for Human Betterment, 1929; Practical Applications of Heredity, 1930; Marriage, Before and After, 1943; Marriage Is What You Make It, 1950; Divorce- 17 Ways to Avoid It, 1959; Can This Marriage Be Saved, 1960; Sex, Love, and Marriage, 1963; and The Church Looks At Family Life, 1964.

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Content Description

The Paul Bowman Popenoe papers contain extensive information about the American Institute of Family Relations, a marriage and family counseling practice which Paul Popenoe founded in 1929. The files regarding the institute, 1929-1977, contain case files and correspondence regarding its administration. To promote the institute, he gave lectures about marriage and family problems at schools and social organizations, wrote a newspaper advice column for the National Newspaper Syndicate, appeared on radio and television programs, and wrote a column for the Ladies’ Home Journal, 1949-1976.

The National Newspaper Syndicate files contain the correspondence between Mr. Popenoe and the Syndicate, letters from readers, and the printed columns that he wrote. There are scripts from radio and television programs, 1932-1962. There is also correspondence, contracts, and publicity for the institute’s program “Divorce Hearing,” 1957-1962.

There are many correspondence files, 1875-1978, regarding Paul Popenoe’s family and professional and casual acquaintances. There are a few files about his army career in World War I and manuscripts of his books and articles. There is biographical information, photographs, and scrapbook material, 1874-1991, regarding the Popenoe family. The photographs are of Paul Popenoe, his family, and date growing, which was part of the family business. There are many subject files, 1912-1976, regarding human relations, marriage counseling, eugenics, and sex education in schools.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Paul Popenoe papers, 1874-1991, Collection Number 04681, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Paul Popenoe at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Paul Popenoe papers, 1874-2016, were given to the American Heritage Center by Paul Popenoe in sixteen shipments from 1970 through 1977, David Popenoe in 1998 and 2016, and Occidental College Library in 2016. The papers were received in good condition.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Loreley Moore in April 2002 and updated by Jamie Greene in August 2017.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Eugenics.
  • Family relationships.
  • Family--Social aspects.
  • Heredity.
  • Marriage.
  • Public health.
  • Radio addresses, debates, etc.
  • Television programs.

Occupations

  • Authors, American.
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