Samuel Jackson Holmes
Encyclopedia
Samuel Jackson Holmes was an American zoologist. He was at University of California, Berkeley
. He was also a eugenicist.
He was the son of Joseph Holmes and his wife Avis Folger née Taber. He obtained his BSc from the University of California
in 1893, his MSc in 1894 and PhD from the University of Chicago
in 1897.
Between 1899 and 1905 he worked at the Institute of Zoology at the University of Michigan
. In 1905 he was appointed associate professor at University of California, Berkeley
, and in 1917 was promoted to full professor. He retired in 1939 but continued on as emeritus professor until 1964.
He was on the initial board of the Human Betterment Foundation
eugenics society.
He married Cecelia Warfield Skinner in 1909 and they had five children. He is the grandfather of Joseph Holmes
, landscape photographer.
He was the author of The Evolution of Animal Intelligence (1911), Studies in Animal Behavior (1916), Studies in Evolution and Eugenics (1923), A Bibliography of Eugenics (1924), Life and Evolution (1926), The Eugenic Predicament (1933), The Negro’s Struggle for Survival (1937) et Life and Morals (1948). In Life and Morals Holmes claimed that morals had a natural origin but, Darwinian evolution "does not logically compel me to adopt any one standard of conduct rather than another".
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He was also a eugenicist.
He was the son of Joseph Holmes and his wife Avis Folger née Taber. He obtained his BSc from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
in 1893, his MSc in 1894 and PhD from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1897.
Between 1899 and 1905 he worked at the Institute of Zoology at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. In 1905 he was appointed associate professor at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and in 1917 was promoted to full professor. He retired in 1939 but continued on as emeritus professor until 1964.
He was on the initial board of 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"...
eugenics society.
He married Cecelia Warfield Skinner in 1909 and they had five children. He is the grandfather of Joseph Holmes
Joseph Holmes
Joseph E. Holmes is a color, natural light, landscape photographer from California. He is an innovator in the field of inkjet fine art print making, and has developed his own visual calibration software.-Life and work:...
, landscape photographer.
He was the author of The Evolution of Animal Intelligence (1911), Studies in Animal Behavior (1916), Studies in Evolution and Eugenics (1923), A Bibliography of Eugenics (1924), Life and Evolution (1926), The Eugenic Predicament (1933), The Negro’s Struggle for Survival (1937) et Life and Morals (1948). In Life and Morals Holmes claimed that morals had a natural origin but, Darwinian evolution "does not logically compel me to adopt any one standard of conduct rather than another".
Research resources
- Guide to the Samuel J. Holmes Papers at The Bancroft Library