Lewis Lawes
Encyclopedia
Lewis Edward Lawes was a prison warden and an outspoken proponent of prison reform
.
.
Lawes ran away at 17 and joined the United States Coast Artillery. Afterwards, he worked at an insurance company before beginning his prison career as a guard at Clinton Prison in Dannemora, New York on March 1, 1905. On September 30, 1905, he married Katherine Stanley. He subsequently worked at first Auburn Prison
, then Elmira Reformatory. In March 1915 he was named Superintendent of the City Reformatory on Hart Island in New York City
. Lawes became warden of the Massachusetts State Prison in 1918. New York Governor Al Smith
asked him to take over as Warden of Sing Sing. Lawes took charge on January 1, 1920. He was featured on the cover and in an article of Time
magazine issue of November 18, 1929. He remained at his post for twenty-one years, instituting reforms, until he retired in 1941. He was replaced as Warden of Sing Sing by Robert J. Kirby.
Lawes became the president of the Boy Rangers of America
in 1941.
Lawes wrote several books. Several of his works were made into films. His most famous book, Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing, was made into a 1932 movie
under the same title, starring Spencer Tracy
, and again in 1940 as Castle on the Hudson
, featuring John Garfield
. Invisible Stripes
(1939), with George Raft
, was based on his novel of the same name, while Humphrey Bogart
starred in You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939), an adaptation of Chalked Out, a play Lawes co-wrote.
Lawes died in 1947 at age 63 and is interred at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Sleepy Hollow
, NY.
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
.
Biography
He was born on September 13, 1883, the only child of Henry Lewis and Sarah Abbott. His father worked as a prison guard at the New York State Reformatory, now called the Elmira Correctional FacilityElmira Correctional Facility
Elmira Correctional Facility, known otherwise as "the Hill", is a maximum security prison located in New York in the USA. The prison is located in Chemung County, New York in the City of Elmira...
.
Lawes ran away at 17 and joined the United States Coast Artillery. Afterwards, he worked at an insurance company before beginning his prison career as a guard at Clinton Prison in Dannemora, New York on March 1, 1905. On September 30, 1905, he married Katherine Stanley. He subsequently worked at first Auburn Prison
Auburn Prison
Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison located on State Street in Auburn, New York, built on land that was once a Cayuga Indian Village. It is classified as a maximum security facility....
, then Elmira Reformatory. In March 1915 he was named Superintendent of the City Reformatory on Hart Island in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Lawes became warden of the Massachusetts State Prison in 1918. New York Governor Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
asked him to take over as Warden of Sing Sing. Lawes took charge on January 1, 1920. He was featured on the cover and in an article of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine issue of November 18, 1929. He remained at his post for twenty-one years, instituting reforms, until he retired in 1941. He was replaced as Warden of Sing Sing by Robert J. Kirby.
Lawes became the president of the Boy Rangers of America
Boy Rangers of America
The Boy Rangers of America was a Scouting program in the United States for boys ages 8 through 12. It was organized in 24 January 1913 in Montclair, New Jersey by Emerson Brooks...
in 1941.
Lawes wrote several books. Several of his works were made into films. His most famous book, Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing, was made into a 1932 movie
20,000 Years in Sing Sing
20,000 Years in Sing Sing is a 1932 American black-and-white drama film set in Sing Sing Penitentary, the notorious maximum security prison in New York State. This movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, and it starred the noted actors Spencer Tracy as the main convict, and Bette Davis as his...
under the same title, starring Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, and again in 1940 as Castle on the Hudson
Castle on the Hudson
Castle on the Hudson is a 1940 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, and Pat O'Brien. A thief gets sent to Sing Sing Prison, where he is befriended by the reform-minded warden. The film was based on the book Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing,...
, featuring John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
. Invisible Stripes
Invisible Stripes
Invisible Stripes is a 1939 Warner Bros. crime film about a gangster unable to go straight after returning home from prison. The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and also features William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay by Warren Duff was based on the novel of the same name by Warden...
(1939), with George Raft
George Raft
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s...
, was based on his novel of the same name, while Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
starred in You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939), an adaptation of Chalked Out, a play Lawes co-wrote.
Lawes died in 1947 at age 63 and is interred at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. Incorporated in 1849 as Tarrytown Cemetery, it posthumously honored Irving's...
in Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow
-Fiction:* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an 1819 short story by Washington Irving* Sleepy Hollow , a 1998 adaptation of Washington Irving's short story* Sleepy Hollow , a 1999 movie by Tim Burton...
, NY.