William Sanger (November 12, 1873 – July 23, 1961) was a German-born and American-educated architect and artist. He was the husband of

Margaret Sanger Margaret Higgins Sanger (born Margaret Louise Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966), also known as Margaret Sanger Slee, was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control ...

Early life and education

Born in Berlin, Germany, Sanger came from a devoutly Jewish family which moved to the United States in about 1878. He was educated in architecture from 1893–95 at

The Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

in New York City. He later studied architecture at Atelier Masquery and the Society Beaux-Arts Architects. Sanger was further educated in painting at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

and the Artists-Artisans Institute.

Personal life and activism

Sanger married

(née Higgins) on August 18, 1902. William Sanger was arrested for handing out a copy of Margaret Sanger's pamphlet on birth control, "Family Limitation". In a statement before the Court of Special Sessions in New York City on September 10, 1915, William Sanger identified emotionally with his wife's work and referred to

Anthony Comstock Anthony Comstock (March 7, 1844 – September 21, 1915) was an anti-vice activist, United States Postal Inspector, and secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (NYSSV), who was dedicated to upholding Christian morality. He o ...

as a victim of "incurable sexophobia" who lacked "the intelligence to distinguish between pornography and scientific information." The judge in the trial stated, "Your crime is not only a violation of the laws of man, but of the law of God as well, in your scheme to prevent motherhood ... If some persons would go around and urge Christian women to bear children, instead of wasting their time on woman suffrage, this city and society would be better off." Supporters in the courtroom and outside broke into protest. The judge's statement intensified interest in the case and redefined the issue as a dispute about women's roles rather than about obscenity as was previously viewed through the anti birth control propaganda of Anthony Comstock. The trial and following protests set a new tone for public debate about birth control. Another outcome of the trial was that it inspired Margaret Sanger to return to the United States and stand trial herself. The couple divorced in 1921.

References

1870s births 1975 deaths Physicians from Virginia 20th-century German Jews Jewish architects German emigrants to the United States {{US-physician-stub