Donald A. Swan (28 March 1935 – June 1981) was an American

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

and advocate for

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 ...

and

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

Early life

Donald A. Swan was born on 28 March 1935. He got a degree from Queens College. He studied economics in graduate school at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

but was expelled for stealing books from the library.Jackson Jr., John P. ''Science for Segregation: Race, Law, and the Case Against Brown V. Board of Education.'' United States, NYU Press, 2005. He wrote a letter in appreciation to Karl Donitz, the successor to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

Career

Swan was an assistant professor at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

. He was a co-founder in 1959 of the

International Association for the Advancement of Ethnology and Eugenics The International Association for the Advancement of Ethnology and Eugenics (IAAEE) was an organisation that promoted eugenics and segregation, and the first publisher of ''Mankind Quarterly''. History IAAEE was founded in 1959 and has headquart ...

(IAAEE), serving as treasurer and corresponding secretary, and he was involved in the Northern League. He was involved in the IAAEE's attempts to overturn ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

.'' In the 1950s he contributed articles to '' The Truth Seeker'' purporting genetic differences based on early 20th century IQ studies and Nazi anthropology. He made speeches using the pseudonym Thor Swenson. He was a defender of the German eugenicist Hans F. K. Günther. In 1966, Swan was arrested on mail-fraud charges. During the raid on Swan's apartment in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the police found Nazi memorabilia, weapons and ammunition. A book by

George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell (March 9, 1918 – August 25, 1967) was an American neo-Nazi activist who founded the American Nazi Party (ANP) and became one of the most notorious white supremacists in the United States until his murder in 1967. His b ...

of the

American Nazi Party The American Nazi Party (ANP) is an American neo-Nazi Political parties in the United States, political party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell in 1959. In Rockwell's time, it was headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It was renamed the Natio ...

was also found, as well as a photograph depicting Swan with American Nazi Party members. He and a colleague were later convicted of 12 counts of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Death and legacy

Swan died in June 1981. After his death, Swan's papers were purchased and donated to Roger Pearson at the Institute for the Study of Man, under a

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 ...

grant of $59,000.

References

1935 births 1981 deaths Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Southern Mississippi faculty 20th-century American anthropologists American neo-Nazis American people convicted of mail and wire fraud American segregationists {{US-anthropologist-stub Pioneer Fund members Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government