William B. Munro

William Bennett Munro (5 January 1875[2] – 4 September 1957) was a Canadian historian and political scientist. He taught at Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology. He was known for research on the seigneurial system in New France and on municipal administration in the United States.

William B. Munro
1931 drawing of William Bennett Munro
Born
William Bennett Munro

(1875-01-05)5 January 1875
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
Died4 September 1957(1957-09-04) (aged 82)
Pasadena, California, United States
NationalityCanadian
Occupations
  • Historian
  • Political scientist
SpouseCaroline Munro[1]

Name Removal at Cal Tech

[3]In February 2021, Caltech decided to take William B. Munro's name off one of its buildings because he supported and practiced eugenics, which is a belief that certain people are better than others based on their genes on a scientific and racial level. The building was called the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, but it was renamed the Hameetman Center. Caltech made this decision as part of an effort to recognize and address its past connection to eugenics, which has hurt many people through discrimination and damage to marginalized communities. The president of Caltech, Thomas F. Rosenbaum, said that removing Munro's name reflects the university's commitment to including everyone and recognizing its institutional history.

Munro[4] was an advocate for eugenics, a now-discredited theory that aimed to improve the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding and sterilization. Munro argued that the "superior" races should have more children and the "inferior" races should have fewer children, and he supported laws that allowed for involuntary sterilization.

While Munro's legacy is complicated by his support of eugenics, he also made contributions to the field of political science. He authored several books and articles on political theory, international relations, and American government, and he served as president of the American Political Science Association in 1940.

His name is still used by Stanford University as an endowed position for political professorship, with three professors holding the position as of 2023.[5]

Works

References
  1. "Lady Agnes Adams, Greta Millikan and Caroline Munro, 1920-1935". UCLA Digital Library Collections. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  2. Twenty-fifth Anniversary Report, 1895–1920: Harvard College (1780– ). Class of 1895. The University Press. 1920. p. 321.
  3. "Caltech to Remove the Names of Robert A. Millikan and Five Other Eugenics Proponents from Buildings, Honors, and Assets". Local. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  4. "The Frightening Agenda of the American Eugenics Movement | History News Network". hnn.us. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  5. "Endowed Positions at Stanford: Search results for "William Bennett Munro" | Giving to Stanford". giving.stanford.edu. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  6. Munro, William Bennett, ed. (2013). Documents Relating to the Seigniorial Tenure in Canada, 1598–1854: The Publications of the Champlain Society. doi:10.3138/9781442618176. ISBN 978-1-4426-1817-6.


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