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"Fitter Family" contests organized by the American Eugenics Society.

1920s

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The first contest is organized at the Kansas State Fair in 1920. The trend quickly takes off around the country, championed by Mary T. Watts and Florence Brown Sherbon. Competitors submit records of their "family traits" and are give an overall letter grade of "eugenic health." The winners of the competitions are white and generally from western and northern European lineages.