International Congresses of Genetics

The International Congress of Genetics dates back to 1899.  While the first two conferences were plant breeding meetings, they were retrospectively re-named Genetics conferences in 1906.   For overviews of the history of the International Congress of Genetics see:-

Haynes (1998). Heritable Variation and Mutagenesis at Early International Congresses of Genetics. Genetics 148: 1419–1431 [link]

Krementsov, N. (2004). International Science Between the World Wars: The Case of Genetics. Taylor & Francis Ltd

1899International Conference on Hybridisation and Cross-Breeding of Varieties
London, England

This conference preceded the re-discovery of Mendel’s laws of inheritance by one year.  One of the three ‘re-discovers’, Hugo De Vries, presented a paper. William Bateson who gave the study of heredity the name ‘genetics’ and was an early leader of the discipline also spoke. 

Report in NATURE 
Report in SCIENCE
Conference report & text of papers from J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 24, 1900. (Link to come)


1902International Conference on Plant Breeding and Hybridization 
New York, USA

Both Bateson and De Vries presented papers on Mendelism at this conference. Wilhelm Johannsen who went on to coin the term ‘gene’ and to distinguish between genotype and phenotype delivered the first paper of the conference.

Proceedings and text of papers from Memoirs of the Horticultural Society of New York ; vol. 1. 


19063rd International Conference on Genetics 
London, England

Mendelism so permeated the program of this conference that Mendel’s photograph appears in the opening pages of the Proceedings document. The three ‘re-discovers’ of Mendel’s laws (Correns, de Vries and von Tschermak) were all present. This was the first of these meetings to feature talks on animal genetics.

Proceedings and text of papers published by the Royal Horticultural Society 


19114rd International Conference on Genetics 
Paris, France

Highlights of meeting (yet to be written)

At the end of the conference delegates resolved that “the periodic international conferences should be tied to each other through a continuously active entity and a homogeneous leadership possessing the authority necessary to make binding decisions.” Accordingly, they elected William Bateson (Great Britain), Erwin Baur (Germany), Erich von Tschermak (Austria), Wilhelm Johannsen (Denmark), Philip de Vilmorin (France), Jan P. Lotsy (Holland), N. H. Nilson-Elle (Sweden), Walter T. Swingle (United States), and A. Lang (Switzerland) to form the Permanent International Committee for Genetic Congresses – PICGC).

Report in NATURE link

No Congresses were held between 1911 and 1927 due to the First World War


19275th International Congress on Genetics 
Berlin, Germany

Highlights of meeting (yet to be written)

Z. f. induct. Abstamm.-u. Vererbungsl., suppl. 1, 1928  [I have not been able to find a digital copy of this]

Report in NATURE 


19326th International Congress on Genetics 
Ithaca, NY, USA 

Four people who would go on to win the Nobel Prize spoke at this Congress - Thomas Morgan (1933), Hermann Muller (1946), George Beadle (1958) and Barbara McClintock (1983). Morgan was the Congress President and Calvin Bridges the Vice President.  Muller spoke about his research on induction of mutations by X rays that would win him the Nobel Prize. Curt Stern presented his seminal research using translocations to provide physical evidence of crossing over.  Four giants of 20th century population and evolutionary genetics - Theodosius Dobzhansky, R. A. Fisher, J. B. S. Haldane, and Sewall Wright also presented their latest research. The Congress featured many exhibits, including a “living chromosome map” with mutant maize plants placed in positions representing the locations of the causal mutations on the linkage map. 

Congress Program Link
Historical Reflection by James Crow Link
Report in SCIENCE Link