George Washington Kirchwey (July 3, 1855 – March 3, 1942) was an American lawyer, politician, journalist and legal scholar. He was one of the co-founders of the New York Peace Society in 1906 and the

Warden of Sing Sing State Prison The Wardens of Sing Sing are appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. *Elam Lynds (1825–1830) * Robert Wiltse (1830–1840) *David L. Seymour (1840–1843) * William H. Peck (warden) (1843–1845 ...

from 1915 to 1916. He was president of the American Peace Society in 1917.

Life

He was born on July 3, 1855, in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated in law from Yale College in 1879, was admitted to the bar in 1882, and practiced law at Albany, New York for ten years. He edited ''Historical Manuscripts, State of New York'' (1887–1989), was professor of law at Union College, and dean of the Albany Law School (1889–1891), professor of law at Columbia University (1891–1901), dean of Columbia Law School from 1901 to 1910 and was a pioneer in the introduction of the case method of studying law. He was a manager of the 1907-founded Comparative Law Bureau of the American Bar Association, whose '' Annual Bulletin'' was the first comparative law journal in the U.S. He resigned as

Kent Professor of Law Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it face ...

from Columbia University in 1916. He ran on the

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and Independence League tickets for the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

, but lost to Democrat John W. Hogan. He became an associate editor of the ''American Journal of International Law'', president of the New York Society of Criminal Law and Sociology, and a commissioner on prison reform for the State of New York. He was

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

of Sing Sing State Prison from 1915 to 1916. He served on various committees investigating prisons and in 1918–19 was director of the United States Employment Service for New York State. He was president of the

American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

in 1917. He died on March 3, 1942.

Legacy

He was one of the co-founders of the New York Peace Society in 1906, and president of the American Peace Society in 1917. Kirchwey was married to Dora Child Wendell and had four children. His daughter Freda Kirchwey was a longtime editor of '' The Nation'' magazine.

Writings

* ''Historical Manuscripts of the State of New York'', editor (1887–89) * ''Readings in the Law of Real Property'' (1900) * ''Select Cases and other Authorities on the Law of Mortgage'' (1901)

Notes

References

* Kirchwey, George W. ''Foreword'' in Lief, Alfred (ed.) ''The Dissenting Opinions of Mr. Justice Holmes: Arranged, with Introductory Notes'' (New York: The Vanguard Press, 1929). * Kirchwey, George W. ''Readings in the Law of Real Property, an Elementary Collection of Authorities for Students'' (New York: Baker, Voorhis & Company, 1900). * Kirchwey, George W. ''Select Cases and Other Authorities on the Law of Mortgage''(New York: Baker, Voorhis & Company, 1902). * Kirchwey, George W. ''A Survey of the Workings of the Criminal Syndicalism Law of California'' (Los Angeles and San Francisco: California Committee, American Civil Liberties Union, 1926). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchwey, George Washington 1855 births 1942 deaths American male journalists American legal writers Deans of Columbia Law School Writers from Detroit Yale College alumni Politicians from Albany, New York Wardens of Sing Sing Place of death missing New York (state) Progressives (1912) 20th-century American politicians United States Independence Party politicians Lawyers from Albany, New York