Stephen J. Stilwell (May 10, 1866 – April 20, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was born on May 10, 1866, on a farm just on the border line between Mount Vernon and Yonkers, in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

, the son of William J. Stilwell and Mary D. (Archer) Stilwell. He attended the Union Free School in Yonkers, graduated from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Mount Vernon. For some time he owned and edited '' The Reformer'', the Democratic newspaper of Mount Vernon. Stilwell was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(21st D.) from 1909 to 1913, sitting in the 132nd, 133rd, 134th, 135th and

136th New York State Legislature The 136th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to December 12, 1913, while William Sulzer, and then Martin H. Glynn, were Governor of New York, in Albany. Backg ...

s. In 1913, Stilwell was accused by George H. Kendall, President of the

New York Bank Note Company The New York Bank Note Company was an engraver of stock certificates in New York City. History The company was founded in 1877 as the Kendall Bank Note Company. In 1892 George H. Kendall replaced Russell Sage as president of the company. See also ...

, of demanding a bribe of $3,500 to pass legislation which would make it a

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

for the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

to refuse certificates engraved by the New York Bank Note Company. The case was investigated by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, but Stilwell was cleared by a vote of 28 to 21 in the Senate. The report of the Senate investigation was then forwarded to D.A. of New York County

Charles S. Whitman Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868March 29, 1947) was an American lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1, 1915, to December 31, 1918. An attorney and politician, he also served as a delegate from New York to t ...

who prosecuted the case in the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

. Stilwell was convicted of

bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...

, and automatically forfeited his seat in the State Senate on May 24, 1913. He was sentenced by Justice

Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalist ...

to not less than four or more than eight years in prison, and on July 15, 1913, began serving his term in

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

. On February 9, 1914, he was transferred to Great Meadow State Prison in Comstock. In April 1941, he was arrested on a charge of attempted bribery, and remained incarcerated in the Westchester County Jail. On February 9, 1942, he pleaded guilty, and died on April 20 in Grasslands Hospital in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

, where he was receiving medical treatment while awaiting sentence in custody.

Sources

''Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes''
by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; pg. 367)
''Leslie's History of the Greater New York''
(1898; pg. 326)
''The New York Red Book''
(1909; pg. 103)
''CLEARS STILWELL ON BRIBE CHARGE''
in NYT on April 16, 1913
''STILWELL GUILTY OF ASKING BRIBE''
in NYT on May 25, 1913
''STILWELL'S TERM IS 4 TO 8 YEARS''
in NYT on May 29, 1913
''STILWELL IN PRISON; WILL NOT CONFESS''
in NYT on July 16, 1913
''STILWELL AT COMSTOCK''
in NYT on February 10, 1914

in NYT on April 22, 1942 (subscription required) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stilwell, Stephen J 1866 births 1942 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from the Bronx American politicians convicted of bribery Expelled New York State Senators People from Yonkers, New York New York University School of Law alumni People from Westchester County, New York New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes