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Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
Author of the 1927 Buck v. Bell majority opinion that legalized forced sterilization and declared "three generations of imbeciles are enough"
Overview
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932. While widely celebrated as a legal philosopher, Holmes authored one of the most morally catastrophic Supreme Court decisions in American history: Buck v. Bell (1927). Writing for an 8-1 majority, Holmes upheld Virginia compulsory sterilization law, ruling that the state could forcibly sterilize citizens deemed "unfit" and declaring "three generations of imbeciles are enough." The decision, which was based on fraudulent evidence and a rigged legal proceeding, provided the legal framework for the forced sterilization of over 60,000 Americans across 32 states. Buck v. Bell has never been explicitly overturned by the Supreme Court. Holmes opinion was later cited by Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trials as justification for their own eugenics programs. Holmes enthusiasm for eugenics reflected his Social Darwinist worldview, in which he privately expressed contempt for those he considered inferior.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Authored Buck v. Bell (1927), declaring "three generations of imbeciles are enough" and legalizing forced sterilization of over 60,000 Americans
Decision was based on fraudulent evidence: Carrie Buck was not "feebleminded" but was institutionalized after being raped by her foster parents nephew
Buck v. Bell was cited by Nazi defendants at Nuremberg as justification for German eugenics and sterilization programs
The decision has never been explicitly overturned by the Supreme Court
Holmes privately expressed Social Darwinist contempt for those he deemed inferior, writing that the law should "build a race"
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
Carrie Buck
Plaintiff in Buck v. Bell; forcibly sterilized at age 21 after being institutionalized following a rape by her foster family
Harry Laughlin
Eugenics Record Office superintendent whose model sterilization law was upheld in Buck v. Bell
Sources & Documentation
2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Supreme Court: Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927)(1927)
University of Virginia: The Eugenics Crusade and Buck v. Bell(2018)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1841-03-08
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts
Education
- •Harvard College (A.B., 1861)
- •Harvard Law School (LL.B., 1866)
Key Timeline
1902-12-04
Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Theodore Roosevelt
1927-05-02
Authors the 8-1 Buck v. Bell majority opinion upholding forced sterilization and writing "three generations of imbeciles are enough"
1932-01-12
Retires from the Supreme Court at age 90
1933
Nazi Germany passes its Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, modeled partly on American laws upheld by Buck v. Bell
1935-03-06
Dies in Washington, D.C. at age 93; Buck v. Bell remains on the books