“More Than Just Boots! The Eugenic and Commercial Concerns behind A. R. Kaufman’s Birth Controlling Activities”

A. R. Kaufman (1885–1979), founder of the Kitchener-based Kaufman Rubber Company, was nicknamed “Canada’s Mr. Birth Control” because he established the Parents’ Information Bureau (PIB)—a birth control information centre that functioned out of his factory office. Besides creating mail order/home visiting services, Kaufman also funded birth control clinics. Because he was a rubber manufacturer, it was widely believed that commercial concerns were behind his activities. This article examines recently archived material, local newspaper accounts, and court transcripts to connect A. R. Kaufman and the PIB with the manufacture of contraceptive products. It also outlines Kaufman’s involvement with the eugenics movement, especially his dealings with medical practitioners who carried out sterilization procedures for the PIB.