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Robert Klark Graham

American eugenicist and millionaire (1906–1997)

Robert Klark Graham (June 9, 1906 – February 13, 1997) was an American eugenicist and businessman who made millions by developing shatterproof plastic eyeglass lenses and who later founded the Repository for Germinal Choice, a sperm bank for geniuses, in the hope of implementing a eugenics program.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Klark Graham (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jun 9, 1906, died Feb 13, 1997.1

About

Graham created his "Nobel sperm bank" in 1980. Initially, his intent was to obtain sperm only from Nobel laureates, but the scarcity of donors and the low viability of their sperm (because of age) forced Graham to develop a looser set of criteria.

These criteria were numerous and exacting: for example, sperm recipients were required to be married and to have extremely high IQ, though the bank later relaxed this policy so it could recruit athletes for donors as well as scholars.

By 1983, Graham's sperm bank was reputed to have 19 genius repeat donors, including William Bradford Shockley (recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics and proponent of eugenics) and two anonymous Nobel Prize in Science winners.

The bank closed in 1999, two years after the death of its founder. A total of 218 children had been born under its auspices.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Klark Graham, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Career

Occupation: businessperson, inventor, geneticist.4

Personal life

  • BornJun 9, 1906, Harbor Springs5
  • DiedFeb 13, 1997, Seattle6
  • CitizenshipUnited States7

Awards

  • Date not recordedIg Nobel Prize8

Sources

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