# Charles Goethe

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American eugenicist, entrepreneur, land developer, philanthropist, conservationist

Charles Goethe Born (1875-03-28)March 28, 1875 Sacramento, California, U.S. Died July 10, 1966(1966-07-10) (aged 91) Sacramento, California, U.S. Occupation Eugenicist Known for founder of Eugenics Society of Northern California and the California State University, Sacramento Spouse Mary Glide

**Charles Matthias Goethe** (March 28, 1875 – July 10, 1966)[1] was an American [eugenicist](/source/Eugenics), [entrepreneur](/source/Entrepreneur), [land developer](/source/Land_developer), [philanthropist](/source/Philanthropist), [conservationist](/source/Conservation_movement), founder of the [Eugenics Society of Northern California](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugenics_Society_of_Northern_California&action=edit&redlink=1), and a [native](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/native) and lifelong resident of [Sacramento, California](/source/Sacramento%2C_California).

## Early life

Charles M. Goethe was born on March 28, 1875, in Sacramento, California.[2] He pronounced his last name as GAY-tee.[3] Goethe's grandparents had immigrated to California from Germany in the 1870s.[2] Charles’ father was interested in agriculture and wild life. Both men also pursued careers in real estate as Charles made most of his money as a real estate broker.[2] Charles had passed the bar exam but did not pursue a career in law.[4]

As a child, Charles was interested in agriculture, biology, and the human body. In his diary, he kept a record of his diet and exercise, specifically noting days in which his regimen was not sufficient.[2] Goethe's additional childhood interest in various plants and animals evolved as he pressed and catalogued his findings.[2] His ideas concerning nature tied into his later views on eugenics, as he connected the evolution of nature to heredity.[2] Goethe explained in his memoir *Seeking to Serve* that his original interest in eugenics began as a child.[2]

## Nature guide movement

Goethe (German pronunciation: [\[ˈɡøːtə\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German) and occasionally incorrectly as "Gaytee" ) wrote admiringly of [California](/source/California)’s [Forty-Niners](/source/California_Gold_Rush#Forty-niners), the State’s [giant redwood trees](/source/Sequoiadendron_giganteum), and loved the outdoors. Goethe worked with organizations including the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society.[2] He and his wife have been called "The father and mother of the Nature Guide Movement,' initiating interpretive programs with the U.S. [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service).[5] The National Park Service made Goethe the “Honorary Chief Naturalist” for his work in this field.[2] This was motivated by their experience with nature programs in Europe and desire to educate visitors in the U.S. National Parks.[6] His motto was "Learn to Read the Trail-side as a Book." Goethe encouraged the general public to educate themselves about the evolution of nature as well, personally spending time dedicated to learning about different plants and animals.[2] He later introduced the Boy Scouts to Sacramento, due to his interest in furthering biological education for children.[2] As an adult, Goethe was a conservationist who worked to implement park rangers into national parks.[2]

## Founder of Sacramento State College

Goethe founded [California State University, Sacramento](/source/California_State_University%2C_Sacramento) (Sacramento State College at the time), which in turn treated Goethe with the reverence of a [founding father](/source/Founding_father), appointed him chairman of the university's advisory board, dedicated the [Goethe Arboretum](/source/Goethe_Arboretum) to him in 1961, and organized an elaborate gala and 'national recognition day' to mark his 90th birthday in 1965, when he received letters of appreciation – solicited by his friends at CSUS – from the president of the [Nature Conservancy](/source/Nature_Conservancy), then-Governor [Edmund G. Brown](/source/Pat_Brown), and then-President [Lyndon B. Johnson](/source/Lyndon_B._Johnson). As a result, in 1963, Goethe changed his will to make CSUS his primary [beneficiary](/source/Beneficiary), bequeathing his residence, eugenics library, papers, and $640,000 to the university.[7]

When Goethe died, CSUS received the largest share of his $24 million estate.

## Eugenics controversy

This article is part of a series on Eugenics Historical trajectory Ancient Jus trium liberorum Lex Papia Poppaea Jewish views on incest Incest in the Bible British eugenics Malthusian League Eugenic feminism Nazi eugenics "Racial hygiene" Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring Hereditary Health Court Lebensborn Romani Holocaust Aktion T4 Doctors' Trial US eugenics Slave breeding in the US Eugenics Survey of Vermont Oneida stirpiculture Immigration Act of 1924 US birth control movement Sterilization law in the United States Buck v. Bell Doe ex. rel. Tarlow v. District of Columbia Madrigal v. Quilligan Poe v. Lynchburg Training School & Hospital Skinner v. Oklahoma Stump v. Sparkman Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 Canadian eugenics The Famous Five Sexual Sterilization Act French Eugenics Japanese eugenics Hispanic eugenics Mexican eugenics Swedish sterilization program (1906–1975) Peruvian sterilization program (1990–2000) Population planning in Singapore New eugenics He Jiankui affair Human genetic enhancement Religious response to assisted reproductive technology Pre-war academic proponents Bell Brigham Burbank Carrell Davenport Darwin (Leonhard) DeCourcy Ward von Ehrenfels Elderton Ellis Evang Fisher Fischer Galton Gates Goldscheid Grant Gruber Günther Guyer Haldane Hentschel Herseni Holmes Hrdlička Jennings Jordan Kang Key Kraepelin Laughlin Lenz Lewis London Magnussen Manuilă Mittmann Moreira Munro Nordau Osborn Pan Pearson (Karl) Perkins Pérez Ploetz Quetelet Rainer Relgis Ross Schallmayer Scharffenberg Serebrovsky Sergi Slater Southard Stoddard Taussig Terman Tesla Thorndike Vacher de Lapouge Verschuer Wiggam Yerkes Post-war academic remnants Agar Bell (Julia) Blacker Carl Carter Cattell Coleman Darlington Fleischman Garrett Glad Hardin Haldane Hanania Herndon Huxley Ingle Itzkoff José Figueredo Kallmann Kirkconnell Koch Laski Lederberg Lorenz Ludovici Lundman Lynn MacEachran Magnussen Miller Muller Murray Nijenhuis Nyborg Osborn Pearson (Roger) Pendell Pitt-Rivers Popenoe Rostand Savulescu Shapiro Shockley Verschuer Vining Jr. Weiss Pamphlets and manifestos Hereditary Genius (1869) Degeneration (1892–1893) Gallia (1895) "The Blood of the Nation" (1901/1910) Anticipations (1901) Varuna (1901) Heredity in Relation to Eugenics (1911) Daedalus (1924) La raza cósmica (1925) Marriage and Morals (1929) The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (1930) "Charter for Rationalists" (1932) Man, the Unknown (1935) After Us (1936) "Eugenics manifesto" (1939) The Marching Morons (1951) Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins (1973) Organizations Without significant post-war activity ABCL Alberta Eugenics Board AASPIM AES Carnegie Institution for Science Carrel Foundation CSHL Co-operative Women's Guild EBNC ERO Fabian Society Galton Laboratory German Society for Racial Hygiene Gobineau Association Heredity Commission HBF Human Betterment League Immigration Restriction League INED IAAEE International Eugenics Conference IFEO Kaiser Wilhelm Institute Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry PAA Progressive League Race Betterment Foundation RHA Rockefeller Foundation State Institute for Racial Biology With significant post-war activity Annals of Eugenics (1954) CIS The Eugenics Review (1968) FREED HDF J. Soc. Political Econ. Stud. LCI Mankind Quarterly OpenPsych Project Prevention Repository for Germinal Choice Ulster Institute for Social Research Related Demographic engineering Dysgenics Fujimorism Genetic discrimination German anthropology History of eugenics Idiocracy Pedigree chart Political views of Bertrand Russell Political views of H. G. Wells Raymond Cattell bibliography Ronald Fisher bibliography Selective breeding History of science portal v t e

Charles Goethe worked near Arizona, focusing on health conditions in the 1920s.[2] Following his work in Arizona, Goethe desired to understand “the extent of the mestizo peril to the American ‘seed stock.'"[2] Essentially, Goethe was determined to establish the threat of [Mexicans](/source/Mexicans) to the American population, in a eugenic sense. As a result, Goethe created the Immigration Study Commission.[2][4] With the efforts of his organization, Goethe aimed to ban Mexican entry into the United States of America. In addition, Goethe portrayed Mexicans as carriers of different diseases and germs. While he believed that certain Mexicans could appear as free of disease, they could in fact be silent carriers due to their health practices.[2] His ideas contributed to 1920s perceptions that the [American melting pot](/source/Melting_pot) had begun to integrate germs from certain races, specifically the Mexican race.[2]

Goethe was a strong proponent of positive eugenics.[4] His mentor was eugenicist [Madison Grant](/source/Madison_Grant), with whom he shared strong anti-immigrant beliefs. Like Grant, Goethe promoted his anti-immigrant and racist ideas through pamphlets and other tracts, and he lobbied with politicians and other bureaucrats.[8] Goethe created tiny pamphlets that he distributed to explain his beliefs concerning specific ethnic groups.[2] In these booklets, he explained the importance of family planning and eugenic practices to ensure the superiority of certain races. He invested nearly 1 million dollars to produce and distribute these pamphlets to influence public perceptions.[2] In addition to investing in these booklets, Goethe also invested in research for plant and biological genetics.[2]

Goethe also recommended [compulsory sterilization](/source/Compulsory_sterilization) of the 'socially unfit', opposed [immigration](/source/Immigration), and praised [German](/source/Germany) scientists who used a comprehensive sterilization program to 'purify' the [Aryan race](/source/Aryan_race) before the outbreak of [World War II](/source/World_War_II). Goethe also funded anti-[Asian](/source/Asian_people) campaigns, praised the [Nazis](/source/Nazis) before and after World War II, and practiced [discrimination](/source/Discrimination) in his business dealings, refusing to sell real estate to Mexicans and Asians.

Goethe believed a variety of social successes (wealth, [leadership](/source/Leadership), intellectual discoveries) and social problems ([poverty](/source/Poverty), [illegitimacy](/source/Illegitimacy), [crime](/source/Crime) and [mental illness](/source/Mental_illness)) could be traced to inherited biological attributes associated with '[racial](/source/Race_(classification_of_human_beings)) [temperament](/source/Temperament)'.

Working with the [Human Betterment Foundation](/source/Human_Betterment_Foundation) in [Pasadena, California](/source/Pasadena%2C_California), Goethe lobbied the State to restrict immigration from [Mexico](/source/Mexico) and carry out [involuntary sterilizations](/source/Compulsory_sterilization) of mostly poor women, defined as '[feeble-minded](/source/Feeble-minded)' or 'socially inadequate' by medical authorities between 1909 and the 1960s.[7][9]

Goethe was also involved in the publication of multiple journals in which he expressed his views on eugenics. Goethe was involved with the journal *Survey Graphic*, serving as a member of the council. The journal had published information about typhus quarantines in Mexico in both 1916 and 1917.[2] In addition to *Survey Graphic*, Goethe was also featured in the journal *Eugenics* and explained his beliefs that Mexicans were the 'dirt of society'.[2] In the journal from the American Eugenics Society, he explained that Mexicans were as low as Negros, and did not understand basic health rules, but also resisted healthy practices.[2] In his articles, Goethe also explained that Mexicans and [South Europeans](/source/Southern_Europe) were responsible for stealing jobs from Americans and introducing germs to the people.[2]

Upon return from a trip to Germany 1934, which at the time was sterilizing over 5,000 citizens per month, Goethe reportedly told a fellow eugenicist, "You will be interested to know that your work has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind [Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler) in this epoch-making program. Everywhere I sensed that their opinions have been tremendously stimulated by American thought...I want you, my dear friend, to carry this thought with you for the rest of your life, that you have really jolted into action a great government of 60 million people."[9] The [Nazi eugenics](/source/Nazi_eugenics) movement eventually escalated to become [The Holocaust](/source/The_Holocaust), which claimed the lives of well over 10 million 'undesirables', including 6 million Jews.

In Sacramento, during Goethe's life, the advocacy of [eugenics](/source/Eugenics), the social [philosophy](/source/Philosophy) of attempting to 'improve' the human population by [artificial selection](/source/Artificial_selection), was considered a [progressive](/source/Progressivism) issue. Though it was opposed by many scientists who thought the understanding of human heredity was too shallow to create solid policy, and by religious leaders who opposed birth control of any form, in the years after the Holocaust it was not considered to be as radical as it is today.[9] Around 20,000 patients in California State [psychiatric hospital](/source/Psychiatric_hospital) system were sterilized with minimal or non-existent [consent](/source/Consent) given between 1909 and 1950, when the law went into general disuse before its repeal in the 1960s. A favorable report by [Human Betterment Foundation](/source/Human_Betterment_Foundation) workers [E.S. Gosney](/source/E.S._Gosney) and [Paul B. Popenoe](/source/Paul_B._Popenoe), touting the results of the sterilizations in California, was published in the late 1920s, which in turn was often cited by the Nazi government as evidence wide-reaching sterilization programs were feasible and humane.[10] When Nazi administrators went on trial for [war crimes](/source/War_crime) in [Nuremberg](/source/Nuremberg) after World War II, they justified their mass sterilizations by pointing at the [United States](/source/United_States) as their inspiration.

CSUS attempted to name a new [science](/source/Science) building after him in 1965, but that effort was rebuffed by students and teachers.[7] In 2005, the university changed the name of its arboretum and botanic garden from the Charles M. Goethe Arboretum to the University Arboretum without fanfare because of renewed attention to Goethe's virulently racist views, praise of Nazi Germany, and advocacy for eugenics.

On June 21, 2007, the school board of the [Sacramento City Unified School District](/source/Sacramento_City_Unified_School_District) voted to rename the "Charles M. Goethe Middle School" to the "Rosa Parks Middle School".[11]

On January 29, 2008, the [Sacramento County Board of Supervisors](/source/Sacramento_County_Board_of_Supervisors) stripped his name from one of Sacramento County's busiest parks.[12] On April 25, 2008, the Sacramento Bee reported that, with a nod from Internet voters and the county parks commission, the park will be renamed River Bend Park.[13]

## Personal life

Charles Goethe married Mary Glide in 1903.[2] Glide came from a wealthy family and Goethe attempted to court Mary nine times before she accepted his offer.[2] According to Goethe, his wife Mary had refused his proposals since she feared that he was solely interested in her wealth. In addition, she rejected his attempts due to the fact that she was struggling with infertility.[2] The Goethes owned multiple ranches and invested money in the stock market, becoming a wealthy family.[2] At the time of her death in 1946, Mary's estate was worth $1.5 million.[2] Her husband, Charles Goethe, had an estate worth $24 million when he died on July 10, 1966.[2] Charles Goethe did not have any children, presumably due to Mary's infertility.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Books

- [*Manuelito of the Red Zerape*](https://archive.org/stream/jstor-6310/6310#page/n1/mode/2up) by C. M. Goethe

## See also

- [Goethe House](/source/Julia_Morgan_House)

- [Eugenics in the United States](/source/Eugenics_in_the_United_States)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cshpe_1-0)** Burke, Chloe. ["Eugenics in California: Charles Matthias Goethe"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151217175430/http://www.csus.edu/cshpe/eugenics/goethe.html). Center for Science, History, Policy and Ethics, California State University, Sacramento. Archived from [the original](http://www.csus.edu/cshpe/eugenics/goethe.html) on 2015-12-17. Retrieved 21 April 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:0_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:0_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-:0_2-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-:0_2-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-:0_2-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-:0_2-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-:0_2-14) [***p***](#cite_ref-:0_2-15) [***q***](#cite_ref-:0_2-16) [***r***](#cite_ref-:0_2-17) [***s***](#cite_ref-:0_2-18) [***t***](#cite_ref-:0_2-19) [***u***](#cite_ref-:0_2-20) [***v***](#cite_ref-:0_2-21) [***w***](#cite_ref-:0_2-22) [***x***](#cite_ref-:0_2-23) [***y***](#cite_ref-:0_2-24) [***z***](#cite_ref-:0_2-25) [***aa***](#cite_ref-:0_2-26) [***ab***](#cite_ref-:0_2-27) [***ac***](#cite_ref-:0_2-28) [***ad***](#cite_ref-:0_2-29) Minna, Alexandra (2016). *Eugenic Nation*. University of California Press. pp. 69–165.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Burke, Chloe S.; Castaneda, Christopher J. (2007). "The Public and Private History of Eugenics: An Introduction". *The Public Historian*. **29** (3): 5–17. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1525/tph.2007.29.3.5](https://doi.org/10.1525%2Ftph.2007.29.3.5). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [18175448](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18175448).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_4-2) [Platt, Tony](/source/Anthony_Platt) (2005). "Engaging the Past: Charles M. Goethe, American Eugenics, and Sacramento State University". *Social Justice*. **32** (2 (100)): 17–33. [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [29768305](https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768305).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The World's Largest Summer Camp," *Yosemite Nature Notes* 37(7):89-94 (July 1958) by Charles M. Goethe](http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_nature_notes/37/37-7.pdf). Traces the origin of nature guiding in National Parks; reprinted from *Nature Magazine*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Nature Study in National Parks Interpretive Movement," *Yosemite Nature Notes* 39(7):156-158 (July 1960) by Charles M. Goethe](http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_nature_notes/39/39-7.pdf)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-SacBee.com_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-SacBee.com_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-SacBee.com_7-2) Platt, Tony (February 29, 2004). ["Curious historical bedfellows: Sac State and its racist benefactor: After receiving honors aplenty from university, C. M. Goethe left most of his big estate to it"](https://web.archive.org/web/20040701184957/http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/v-print/story/8363132p-9292886c.html). The Sacramento Bee. Archived from [the original](http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/v-print/story/8363132p-9292886c.html) on 1 July 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Allen, Garland E. (2013). ["'Culling the Herd': Eugenics and the Conservation Movement in the United States, 1900-1940"](https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=bio_facpubs). *Journal of the History of Biology*. **46** (1): 31–72. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s10739-011-9317-1](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10739-011-9317-1). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [22411125](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22411125). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [24954308](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:24954308).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NewsReview.com_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NewsReview.com_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-NewsReview.com_9-2) Beckner, Chrisanne (February 19, 2004). ["Darkness on the edge of campus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050408195517/http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2004-02-19/news.asp). *[Sacramento News and Review](/source/Sacramento_News_and_Review)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2004-02-19/news.asp) on 2005-04-08. Retrieved 2005-06-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [SFGate.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20031202033357/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/11/09/ING9C2QSKB1.DTL) - 'Eugenics and the Nazis -- the California connection', Edwin Black, [San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle) (November 9, 2003)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [News10.net - Search Results](http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=29411)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [News - Goethe name is gone from park - sacbee.com](http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/672624.html)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [- River Bend favored as new name for Goethe Park - sacbee.com](http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/890474.html)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

## External links

- [StateHornet.com](https://www.statehornet.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/04/420428f1f08c3?in_archive=1)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] - 'Online petition seeks to change name of arboretum', David Martin Olson, *[State Hornet](/source/State_Hornet)* (February 4, 2005)

- [TimesOnline.co.uk](https://archive.today/20070217200455/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-741737,00.html) - 'Liberal California confronts years of forced sterilisation', Chris Ayres, *[Sunday Times](/source/The_Sunday_Times_(UK))* (July 11, 2003)

- '[School to erase Goethe name? Staffers say honoring man with racist views insults the students.](https://web.archive.org/web/20070217034528/http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/123963.html)', Dorothy Korber, "[The Sacramento Bee](/source/The_Sacramento_Bee)" (February 15, 2007)

- '[Ugly side of philanthropist divides (California State University, Sacramento)](https://web.archive.org/web/20070303094259/http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/130884.html)', Eric Stern, Bee Staff Writer, "[The Sacramento Bee](/source/The_Sacramento_Bee)" (March 1, 2007)

- '[Goethe recalled fondly by some](https://web.archive.org/web/20070305051445/http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/131490.html)', Eric Stern, Bee Staff Writer, "[The Sacramento Bee](/source/The_Sacramento_Bee)" (March 2, 2007)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charles Goethe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Goethe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Goethe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.