Joseph DeJarnette
Encyclopedia
Joseph Spencer DeJarnette (September, 1866 – September 3, 1957) was the director of Western State Hospital
(located in Staunton, Virginia
) from 1905 to 1943. He was a vocal proponent of eugenics
, specifically, the compulsory sterilization
of the mentally ill. in 1906, DeJarnette worked with Aubrey Strode and Albert Priddy to establish the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded
. In the early 1920's, DeJarnette lobbied intensively for the Commonwealth of Virginia
to pass a compulsory sterilization law. He became so frustrated with his opponents in the Virginia assembly that he said “When they voted against it, I really felt they ought to have been sterilized as unfit.” He testified against Carrie Buck
as an expert witness in the important eugenics case Buck v. Bell
, which affirmed the constitutionality of Virginia's eugenics law. In 1938, DeJarnette compared the progress of eugenics in the United States
unfavorably with that in Nazi Germany
, stating "Germany in six years has sterilized about 80,000 of her unfit while the United States with approximately twice the population has only sterilized about 27,869 to January 1, 1938 in the past 20 years... The fact that there are 12,000,000 defectives in the US should arouse our best endeavors to push this procedure to the maximum.".
DeJarnette was also a poet of sorts. He wrote a poem entitled Mendel's Law: A Plea for a Better Race of Men, which he read in public on a number of occasions. An excerpt follows:
The DeJarnette Sanitorium, opened in 1932, was named for him. In the 1960s the name was changed to The DeJarnette Center for Human Development. It was converted to a children's mental hospital in 1975, at which time it ceased to be a private enterprise, and the State of Virginia took over operation of the facility. In 1996, a new complex was constructed, and the Virginia Assembly renamed it the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents
due to Dr. DeJarnette's support of eugenics.
Joseph DeJarnette was born in Virginia.
Western State Hospital (Virginia)
Western State Hospital, called Western State Lunatic Asylum in its early years, is a hospital for the mentally ill in Staunton, Virginia, which originally began operations in 1828. At Western State’s birth in 1828, the asylums location seemed almost inevitable. Around 1825, significant changes in...
(located in Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
) from 1905 to 1943. He was a vocal proponent 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,...
, specifically, the compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization also known as forced sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization...
of the mentally ill. in 1906, DeJarnette worked with Aubrey Strode and Albert Priddy to establish the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded
Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded
The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded opened in 1910 as the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics near Lynchburg, Virginia. It was authorized by a 1906 bill written by eugenicist and social welfare advocate Aubrey Strode, in collaboration with eugenicists Albert Priddy and...
. In the early 1920's, DeJarnette lobbied intensively for the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to pass a compulsory sterilization law. He became so frustrated with his opponents in the Virginia assembly that he said “When they voted against it, I really felt they ought to have been sterilized as unfit.” He testified against Carrie Buck
Carrie Buck
Carrie Buck was a plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 , and was ordered to undergo compulsory sterilization for purportedly being "feeble-minded." The surgery was carried out while Buck was an inmate of the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and...
as an expert witness in the important eugenics case Buck v. Bell
Buck v. Bell
Buck v. Bell, , was the United States Supreme Court ruling that upheld a statute instituting compulsory sterilization of the unfit, including the mentally retarded, "for the protection and health of the state." It was largely seen as an endorsement of negative eugenics—the attempt to improve...
, which affirmed the constitutionality of Virginia's eugenics law. In 1938, DeJarnette compared the progress of eugenics in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
unfavorably with that in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, stating "Germany in six years has sterilized about 80,000 of her unfit while the United States with approximately twice the population has only sterilized about 27,869 to January 1, 1938 in the past 20 years... The fact that there are 12,000,000 defectives in the US should arouse our best endeavors to push this procedure to the maximum.".
DeJarnette was also a poet of sorts. He wrote a poem entitled Mendel's Law: A Plea for a Better Race of Men, which he read in public on a number of occasions. An excerpt follows:
-
- This is the law of Mendel,
-
- And often he maken it plain,
-
- Defectives will breed defectives,
-
- And the insane breed insane.
-
- Oh why do we allow these people
-
- To breed back to the monkey's nest,
-
- To increase our country's burdens
-
- When we should only breed the best?
-
- This is the law of Mendel,
The DeJarnette Sanitorium, opened in 1932, was named for him. In the 1960s the name was changed to The DeJarnette Center for Human Development. It was converted to a children's mental hospital in 1975, at which time it ceased to be a private enterprise, and the State of Virginia took over operation of the facility. In 1996, a new complex was constructed, and the Virginia Assembly renamed it the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents
Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents
The Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, formerly known as The DeJarnette Center for Human Development, is a children's mental hospital located in the city of Staunton, Virginia....
due to Dr. DeJarnette's support of eugenics.
Joseph DeJarnette was born in Virginia.