AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Melinda Gormley for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History of Science presented on December 15, 2006. Title: Geneticist L.C. Dunn: Politics, Activism, and Community Abstract Approved: Mary Jo Nye L. C. Dunn (1893-1974) spent most of his scientific career conducting research in developmental genetics as a member of the Zoology Department at Columbia University in the City of New York. He had an accomplished scientific career researching mutations in mice, which earned him respect from other geneticists and scientists. Genetics research, however, was only one aspect of Dunn’s activities. He also campaigned for political and social rights, usually focusing his attention on problems pertinent to scientists and science. Guiding Dunn were his beliefs in socialism, democracy, and intellectual freedom, as well as his humanitarianism. He effectively participated on campaigns in two ways, remaining out of the public eye by performing committee work and entering the public sphere by publishing and lecturing. Dunn did not act alone, but rather was a member of various networks forming an active community of intellectuals. Together these scholars organized privately and acted publicly in an effort to combat what they viewed as society’s injustices, and through their intellectual and political participation they shaped American society. This dissertation focuses on Dunn’s professional years from the 1920s to 1950s and explores L.C. Dunn’s role as a socio-political activist among a community of scholars. ©Copyright by Melinda Gormley December 15, 2006 All Rights Reserved Geneticist L.C. Dunn: Politics, Activism, and Community by Melinda Gormley A DISSERTATION submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented December 15, 2006 Commencement June 2007 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Melinda Gormley presented on December 15, 2006 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing History of Science Chair of the Department of History of Science Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. Melinda Gormley, Author ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must thank my family foremost for their support. My parents and sisters have made researching and writing more enjoyable than it would have been without their constant love and distractions. Erin provided me with good humor, a place to live, and a sightseeing partner in New York. Jessica regularly contacts me to check up on my progress and demeanor. My parents gave me all sorts of support while a student including necessities such as money, food, and housing. Their love and support allowed me to return to and stay in graduate school. Dad also helped coordinate my research trip east finding me a place to live in Philadelphia, and mom visited me while I was living there. Winnie and Steve Bush kept good care of my Paddy-cat for too long and have been supportive, helpful, and enthusiastic. Paddy has been my constant companion, occasional alarm clock, and makes me happy. I love you all! Many friends assist me in so many ways and I truly appreciate them. Ashwini Prasada, who has a personal understanding of the writing process, took me to Cantina and football games regularly during my last quarter as a student. Go Beavs! Brooke Rydstrom constantly reminds me that writing a dissertation is a remarkable feat. Robert Austin and Brendan Currey carried me through the lean summer and have kept me immensely entertained. My advisors and fellow graduate students deserve special recognition. Mary Jo Nye read everything and more than once. Her help has extended beyond this dissertation and I am truly grateful for her and Bob’s dedication. Conversations with Paul Farber always give perspective, and I am indebted to him for giving me the opportunity to teach. Preparing for lectures has broadened my understanding of relevant, yet tangential historical subjects. Andrew Valls signed on to this project early on and has been incredibly supportive and a great motivator. I am also grateful to David Robinson and Daniel Lykins for their genuine interest in me and my work. Dan’s courses in US Diplomatic History and History of the US since 1939 have provided me with my general background in US history, which proved so important to this project. Jeffrey Sklansky has been a constant supporter as a teacher and advisor. Also, he and his wife, Pam Cytrynbaum, let me house sit, staying rent free for three months. Thanks so very much to you all! To all of the graduate students that have come through the program, especially Erica Jensen and Rachel Koroloff. These two ladies are brilliant, funny, and dynamic, and I am thankful that they are willing to talk and not talk about history with me. Erica, my thoughts would be a jumble if it weren’t for all of our evening sessions. Rachel, we will always have F-DIBS and the Vancouver incident for telling good stories for years to come. Captain Terry Christensen and Dutton-dog have had to listen to me go on and on and on, and neither has ever complained. I can’t express enough how thankful I am that Terry gave two lectures in my History of 20th-century Science course during fall 2006. I would not have been able to write three chapters during the quarter if I’d spent that time preparing lectures. My one and only office mate, Tulley Long contributed so many hours to listening about this project during its initial stages. Tulley’s great! All of the other OSU history graduate students have been important to my work because of seminars and other conversations. Thank you to Kristin Johnson, Erik Ellis, Katie Zimmerman, Leandra Swanner, Alice Hall, and Kate Kramer. Funding from the National Science Foundation and American Philosophical Society allowed me to spend four months living on the East Coast doing archival research. I appreciate all of the help received from the archivists at the several locations that I visited. Everyone at American Philosophical Society, especially Joseph-James Ahern, Roy Goodman, and Valerie-Anne Lutz, was incredibly generous throughout my three months there. Other archivists of note are Jocelyn K. Wilk at the University Archives and Columbiana Library at Columbia University, Charlotte L. Sturm at the Rockefeller Archive Center, Mary Sears at the Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and Sheila Connor at the Arnold Arboretum Horticulture Library of Harvard University. Thank you all! TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....1 Dunn’s Political Views……………………………………………………………4 Why L.C. Dunn?......................................................................................................9 Literature Review………………………………………………………………...19 Methodology & Overview…...………………………………………………..…29 1. Preparing for a Life Devoted to Science, 1915-1928…………………………......35 The Bussey Institution and American Expeditionary Forces……………………36 Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station………………………………………….47 A Fundamental Textbook in Genetics and an Awe-inspiring Trip to Russia……60 2. Making Genetics a Credible Discipline, 1928-1935………………………………72 A Divide Develops between Genetics and Eugenics…………………………….80 Dunn’s Views in Print: Genetic Research and Eugenic Statements……………..87 Dunn’s Committee Work: Fortifying Genetics and Destabilizing Eugenics…...101 3. Aiding Refugees & Protecting Human Rights, 1933-1945…………………..….123 Establishing Refugee Organizations Locally and Nationally…………………..128 Assisting Foreign Scholars……………………………………………………..141 Reflections and Liquidations…………………………………………………...165 Other Dimensions of Dunn’s Efforts…………………………………………...178 Protecting Civil Liberties……………………………………………………….183 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...193 4. Funding Science: National Responses to War, 1938-1945.…………………......195 Dunn Mobilizes, Reluctantly…………………………………………………...200 Funding Science after the War………………………………………………....214 Dunn on Public Funding of Science……………………………………………230 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...236 5. Close to Home: Personal and Regional Responses to War, 1940-1945…………240 The Dunn Family in the early 1940s……………………………………………241 Genetics & Development: Theodosius Dobzhansky Comes to Columbia……..247 Columbia University during the War…………………………………………..257 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...281 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page 6. Overseas Colleagues: International Responses to War, 1943-1946..……………282 Soviet Colleagues & the International Genetics Congresses…………………...282 Origins & Goals of the American-Soviet Science Society…………………......292 The Science Society’s Membership and Achievements………………………..301 Post-war Reconstruction of Genetics…………………………………………...319 Conclusion……………………………………………..……………………….323 7. Science & Politics: The Onset of the Cold War, 1940s…….……………………325 Trofim Lysenko & Agro-Biology………………………………………………328 Coordinating American Geneticists’ Attack on Lysenko………………………333 Saving Genetics in the Soviet Union…………………………………………...346 Saving the American-Soviet Science Society…………………………………..358 Aftermath: Disillusion & Distrust………………………………………………383 8. Science & Society: Dunn’s Attack on Racism, mid-1940s to 1952……………..388 The Anthropological Roots of Dunn’s Race Work……………………………..390 Heredity, Race and Society……………………………………………………..397 Educating the World: Dunn’s UNESCO Pamphlets……………………………408 A Communal Effort: UNESCO and its Statements on Race…………………...421 9.