'A matter of moral and social duty': Benjamin O. Whitten's tenure as superintendent of an institution for persons with mental retardation in South Carolina, 1918-1965

A thorough understanding of current educational attitudes and practices in the education of individuals with disabilities such as mental retardation requires an awareness of how these practices developed from the institutional philosophies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Physicians who served as superintendents of these institutions played an important role in shaping the development of the institutions. James W. Trent argues that superintendents of institutions for persons with mental retardation nationwide embraced a philosophy of education but with the intent of creating custodial facilities that ensured their professional legitimacy. Steven Noll analyzed superintendents of institutions in southern states and concludes that their roles were often complex and lacked a clear intent of social control. This study examines the role of superintendent Benjamin O. Whitten of South Carolina in order to determine whether or not he exemplified the role of an institution superintendent as defined by Trent. Topics explored through the research include Whitten's views on the nature of mental retardation and the purposes of the institution, Whitten's philosophy and activities relating to eugenics, and his political and professional activities during his forty-seven year tenure as superintendent. Also examined are educational activities and expansion at the State Training School, later renamed Whitten Village. Results of the study support Noll's conclusion more closely than Trent's and suggest that the characterization of superintendents as emissaries of social control may represent an oversimplified view of their role. Results further indicate that there may have been significant variability among institutions nationwide, and that Institutions with strong, stable leadership may have been able to offer a better quality of care and education than those without such leadership.