Claude Nash Herndon Jr. (February 23, 1916 – March 29, 1998) was an American human geneticist who taught and conducted research at the

Bowman Gray School of Medicine Bowman or Bowmans may refer to: Places Antarctica * Bowman Coast * Bowman Island * Bowman Peninsula Australia * Bowman Park, a park in South Australia * Bowmans, South Australia, a locality * Division of Bowman, an electoral district for the ...

(now the

Wake Forest School of Medicine Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University, with two campuses located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with Atrium Health Wake Forest ...

) in Winston-Salem, NC. He was the school's senior associate dean for research and development for many years. Nash Herndon Retires For Second Time. ''Medical Alumni News''. Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University. Winston-Salem, NC. 1989;31(4):3.

Early life and education

Herndon was born in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, on February 23, 1916, to Claude Nash and Annie Lee (née Mann) Herndon. The younger Herndon received his undergraduate degree from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in 1935 and his M.D. from

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

in 1939. His post-doctoral studies included work in the

heredity Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...

clinic of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, before joining the faculty at the

in 1942.

Academic career

Herndon became the first director of N.C. Baptist Hospital's outpatient department in 1946; while also serving on the medical school's faculty in its Department of Medical Genetics, which had been founded by William Allan. Herndon later replaced Allan as head of the department after the latter's death. For most of Herndon's academic career, from 1966 to 1989, he was senior associate dean for research and development at the medical school. He served as president of the

American Society of Human Genetics The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), founded in 1948, is a professional membership organization for specialists in human genetics. As of 2009, the organization had approximately 8,000 members. The society's members include researchers, ...

(ASHG) in 1955. From 1962 to 1963, he was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the ''

American Journal of Human Genetics The ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of human genetics. It was established in 1948 by the American Society of Human Genetics and covers all aspects of heredity in humans, including ...

'', the ASHG's official journal. His other service to academic and government boards included memberships on panels of the Atomic Energy Commission and National Institutes of Health, as well as the editorial board of '' Steadman's Medical Dictionary''. He retired from Bowman Gray in 1989. A rare genetic disorder, Allan–Herndon–Dudley syndrome, is named after Allan, Herndon, and Florence C. Dudley.

Eugenics

An outspoken advocate for genetics research to identify and curtail severe inherited diseases and birth defects, Herndon provided genetics counseling to the North Carolina government's

eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...

sterilization program that later prompted the governor of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

to apologize for it. North Carolina was one of 32 states with such programs. Herndon also served on many other academic and government health panels, including the genetics subcommittee of the

American Association of Medical Colleges American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. In 1947, Herndon co-founded the

Human Betterment League The Human Betterment League of North Carolina was created in 1947 on the initiative of hosiery businessman James G. Hanes of Winston-Salem, NC. He was joined by Clarence Gamble, a physician and heir to the Procter & Gamble fortune who previousl ...

with

Clarence Gamble Clarence James Gamble (January 10, 1894 – July 15, 1966) was an American medical doctor and the heir of the Procter and Gamble soap company fortune. He was an advocate of birth control and eugenics, and he founded Pathfinder International ...

and James G. Hanes, among others. In 1949, Herndon met with

Wickliffe Draper Wickliffe Preston Draper (August 9, 1891 – March 11, 1972) was an American political activist. He was an ardent eugenicist and lifelong advocate of strict racial segregation. In 1937, he founded the Pioneer Fund for eugenics and heredity rese ...

, the head of the

Pioneer Fund The Pioneer Fund is an American non-profit foundation established in 1937 "to advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences". The organization has been described as racist and white supremacist in nature. The Southern Pover ...

. The Fund, known for giving grants to researchers in support of its eugenicist and racialist agenda, subsequently funded some of Herndon's work. From 1953 to 1955, he was the president of the

American Eugenics Society The American Eugenics Society (AES) was a pro-eugenics organization dedicated to "furthering the discussion, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge about biological and sociocultural forces which affect the structure and composition of huma ...

Death

Herndon died on March 29, 1998, at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herndon, Claude Nash 1916 births 1998 deaths American geneticists American Eugenics Society members American academic journal editors Wake Forest University faculty People from Greensboro, North Carolina Duke University alumni Jefferson Medical College alumni Human geneticists American Journal of Human Genetics editors