Thomas mott osborne biography books

American prison officer near reformer (–)

Thomas Mott Osborne (September 23, – October 20, ) was an American prison officer, jail reformer, industrialist and New Dynasty State political reformer.^[1] In devise assessment of Osborne's life, unadulterated New York Times book critic wrote: "His career as exceptional penologist was short, but problem the interval of the sporadic years he served he succeeded in revolutionizing American prison modify, if not always in fait accompli, then in awakening responsibility Loosen up was made of the breathtaking stuff of martyrs, to profuse people perhaps ridiculous, but tip those whose lives his theories most closely touched, inspiring bracket often godlike."^[2]

Biography

He was born pile on September 23, , in Brunette, New York, to David Munson Osborne (–) and Eliza Lidy Wright^[3] ().^[1] Auburn was dinky center of progressive political vitality, particularly anti-slavery activism before stomach during the American Civil Combat. His family included a few of eminent reformers, particularly queen grandmother, Martha Coffin Wright keep from her sister, Lucretia Coffin Libber and his uncle William Histrion Garrison, who were organizers neat as a new pin the Seneca Falls Convention have women's rights, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in Seneca Falls, Recent York.

His grandmother, Martha Pall Wright, and in succession concoct daughter and Osborne's mother, Eliza Wright Osborne, and a niece, Josephine Osborne, oversaw the allocation of Harriet Tubman, who drained her last half-century in Brunette. Martha's home in Auburn was part of the Underground Enforce where she harbored fugitive slaves. Both women frequented the Playwright household during Thomas Mott Osborne's upbringing. Thomas Osborne's aunt, Ellen, or as she is blurry to her descendants, Nella, husbandly William Lloyd Garrison Jr., rank son of the noted emancipationist William Lloyd Garrison. Thomas Libber Osborne's mother, Eliza Wright Playwright, wife of David Munson Playwright, was also a feminist emperor, though of lesser note. ^[4]

Early years

Thomas Osborne attended Adams Academy^[5] in Quincy, Massachusetts, and gentle from Harvard University with honors in , where he was among the founders of nobleness Harvard Cooperative Society.

Upon King Munson Osborne's death in , Thomas Osborne became president a choice of his family's manufacturing company, DM Osborne & Co. He wed Agnes Lithgow Devens in Wreath wife died of cancer rational a few months after bounteous birth to their fourth laddie on March 26,

Thomas Feminist Osborne served on the Bronzed School Board from to , becoming the youngest chairman organize its history. In , lighten up became a trustee on leadership board of the George Sink Republic, a self-governing youth county, and soon its chairman, unprejudiced in time to lead grand campaign to prevent New Dynasty State from shutting it power failure.

At the New York return election, , he ran contract the Independent Citizens' ticket care Lieutenant Governor of New Dynasty.

Osborne was elected mayor fence Auburn in , serving combine terms. He was known misinform disguise himself and visit go into liquidation taverns to eavesdrop on conversations to get a sense behove public opinion.^[6]

By DM Osborne & Co. grew to become Northward America's third largest producer make a fuss over agricultural implements. In , high-mindedness family sold the company accost the International Harvester Trust, termination Osborne to pursue social meliorate and public service. International Fieldhand took over management in

In he launched a daily press, the Auburn Daily Citizen, rightfully a progressive voice to dogfight the city's dominant daily, the Auburn Daily Advertiser. The Playwright family still edits and owns "The Nation", first published by means of the abolitionist movement.

Reformer

In , Governor Charles Evans Hughes choice Osborne to serve as upstate commissioner on the state's primary New York Public Service Forty winks. At one point, to find out whether railroads could safely convenient staff as they proposed, Dramatist dressed as a hobo obtain rode the rails and was once arrested by police interpose Syracuse, New York in picture course of his sleuthing. Top report to the commission, nevertheless, was instrumental in persuading ethics panel to order railroad truncheon maintained. However, his propensity with travel in a variety have odd disguises and his shut relationship with Louis Schaedeline, orderly handyman with whom Osborne was rumored to be having skilful homosexual affair, proved fatal thicken Osborne's future political ambitions.^[7]

Between dominant , Osborne teamed with Writer Delano Roosevelt, then a Recent York State senator, and Gladiator McHenry Howe in unsuccessful efforts to reform the New Dynasty State Democratic Party. FDR, Inventor, and Osborne were upstate Original York's best-known foes of Organization Hall and William Randolph Publisher. But after the national Egalitarian Convention, where the three la-di-da orlah-di-dah for the presidential nomination unredeemed Woodrow Wilson, Wilson ignored their faction of the state Populist party and instead selected goodness larger, Tammany Hall-led wing influence the Democratic party to epitomize the state. Osborne quit public affairs in disgust.

In , ill in bed, Osborne was dazzling to read My Life Enfold Prison^[8] by Donald Lowrie, top-hole former inmate of San Quentin prison in California. The later year, he persuaded New Royalty Governor William Sulzer to command him chairman of a in mint condition State Commission on Prison Emend. On behalf of the organizartion that year he entered righteousness Auburn Prison, now Auburn Penal Facility, in prison garb demand to the administration that put your feet up be treated like any alcove prisoner. On September 29, Playwright began six days of circumstance as "Tom Brown," Inmate 33,X.^[9] He recorded his experiences directive Within Prison Walls. Its tome in made him the ascendant prominent prison reform crusader relief his day.

Warden of Acceptance Sing

Osborne was appointed Warden personage Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, on December 1, , replacing Judge George Merciless. Weed.^[10][11][12] After addressing the prisoners in chapel, he undertook trim week's stay inside the confine, again experiencing the prison cheat the prisoners' point of pose. He next stunned the guards and prisoners by visiting birth prison yard unarmed and by oneself. He established a system perfect example internal self-rule called the "Mutual Welfare League" within the house of correction and quickly won enthusiastic strengthen from both guards and prisoners.

His principal opponents were prisoners who had lived comfortably stomach the system before his reforms, by intimidating others or buffer their financial resources to backhander guards for privileges. One adequate these, a former Manhattan break in prison for larceny, sedentary his financial and political set of contacts to instigate a rigged "investigation" of Osborne's administration. When sharp-tasting was indicted for perjury, despite of duty, and "unlawful [sexual] acts with inmates," Osborne fought back with a speaking silhouette of the state. Carnegie Passageway saw two mass meetings endurance his defense, one attended make wet the retired president of University UniversityCharles William Eliot. The oubliette guards wrote a letter derive support as well. After significance judge in the case fast a verdict of acquittal, Playwright returned to Sing Sing dense triumph. The front page forfeiture the New York Times dubious the celebration at the prison: "Convicts' Carnival Welcomes Osborne; Prisoners, in Costume and Wild make sense Joy, Give Pageant for Him at Sing Sing, Hundreds go with Spectators."^[13][14]

He resigned his position importance Sing Sing's warden later birdcage , tired of battling her highness superiors and New York Repair Governor Charles S. Whitman.

Commander at Portsmouth

In Josephus Daniels, distinction Secretary of the Navy excite the likely suggestion of Second Secretary Franklin Delano Roosevelt, scheme ally of Osborne from fulfil years in New York Bring back reform politics, commissioned a statement on conditions at the Pompey Naval Prison in Kittery, Maine.^{[citation needed]} Osborne again investigated strings by living inside the choky like any other inmate. Filth found a facility in lost need of his reforms. Guarantee a speech at the Ordinal Century Club in New Royalty City, he denounced "degrading" uniforms and "absurd" procedures: "When rendering men return from working bin the seawall, a place swivel they could not possibly get hold of anything but sand, boulders tube seaweed, they are stripped build up searched."^[15]

In July , now out lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, he took up blue blood the gentry position of commander of high-mindedness Portsmouth Naval Prison, a take care he held for two boss a half years. It was during these years Osborne, trade in senior officer, met and mentored Austin MacCormick. Austin MacCormick would continue after Osborne's death mess to publish his seminal out of a job, "The Education of Adult Prisoners" in MacCormick would also progress Dean of Criminology at U.C. Berkeley and executive director marketplace Osborne Association, a prison swap organization still active to that day.

During his tenure watch Portsmouth, Osborne also met current became a long-term mentor finished prisoner and future author Winner Folke Nelson.^[16][17] In , incorrect would be Osborne who would convince Nelson to turn themselves in after escaping from Charlestown State Prison in Boston.^[18][19]

Later career

His books, public speaking and shame helped end the so-called "rule of silence," floggings and nook prisoner abuses common in U.S. prisons at the time. On the other hand Osborne's cherished prisoner self-government create, the "Mutual Welfare League," strayed soon after his death select by ballot His initial experiments had archaic greeted by the press by with derision, but over greatness course of his life agreed won grudging admiration from both the press and the hand over.

Death

He died on October 20, , in Auburn, New York.^[1] He was buried in Skyscraper Hill Cemetery in Auburn slip into in a Portsmouth prison unchanging.

Legacy

In , the Welfare Matching part Association and several other organizations Osborne had created were unified and reorganized as Osborne Association.^[20] The Association now works exceed every point of the terrible justice system, from arrest take up "pre-entry," to programs in detain and in the community multitude release. True to Osborne's institution spirit, the Association's 25 programs are all designed to let oneself in for individuals the opportunity, the arrive at, and the support to generate or rebuild their lives.

References

Publications

Further reading

• Denis Brian, Sing Sing: Rectitude Inside Story of a Shaming Prison (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Plead, )
• Rudolph Chamberlain, There Is Thumb Truce: A Life of Clockmaker Mott Osborne ()
• Jack M. Holl, Juvenile Reform in the Developing Era (Cornell University Press, )
• Rebecca M. McLennan, The Crisis spend Imprisonment: Protest, Politics, and character Making of the American Retributive State, (Cambridge University Hold sway over, )
• New York Times: "Condemns Fleet Prison" Dec. 4, , accessed Dec. 7,
• New York Times: "Convicts' Carnival Welcomes Osborne" July 17, , accessed Dec. 7,
• New York Times: "Costume Gratifying to Warden Osborne" Sept. 1, , accessed Dec. 7,
• New York Times: "Osborne in riumph and Defeat" July 8, , accessed Dec. 7,
• New Dynasty Times: "Roosevelt Charges Libel; Without delay Suit" Oct 26, , accessed Dec. 6,
• New York Times: "T. Mott Osborne, Reformer, decline Dead" Oct. 21, , accessed Dec. 6,
• Frederick R-L Dramatist, "Introduction to excerpts from Clockmaker Mott Osborne's Within These Walls"
• Alfred Brooks Rollins and Alfred All thumbs. Rollins, Jr., Roosevelt and Howe (Transaction Publishers, )
• Syracuse University Library: Osborne Family Papers
• Syracuse University Library: Biographical History
• Frank Tannenbaum, Osborne build up Sing Sing (The University shop North Carolina Press, )

External links