Census Superintendent Robert Porter declared that the 1890 census's detailed figures on quadroons and octoroons "are of little value" and "misleading" as an indication of racial mixture.
Notes on verification
Directly confirmed by primary source (1895 Census Office report quoting Porter) and corroborated by multiple independent secondary sources (Pew Research, NPR, academic paper by Hochschild/Powell). [tier=silver indep_score=0.833 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Racial Reorganization and the United States Census 1850-1930 (seed:relationships_and_lifestyle)
- https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/06/11/chapter-1-race-and-multiracial-americans-in-the-u-s-census/ (corroboration)
- https://www.npr.org/2017/12/13/568317026/negro-not-allowed-on-federal-forms-white-house-to-decide (corroboration)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38413773_Racial_Reorganization_and_the_United_States_Census_1850-1930_Mulattoes_Half-Breeds_Mixed_Parentage_Hindoos_and_the_Mexican_Race (corroboration)