Anthony Comstock (; March7, 1844 – September21, 1915) was an American anti-vice activist, United States Postal Inspector, and secretary of the

New York Society for the Suppression of Vice The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (NYSSV or SSV) was an organization dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and d ...

(NYSSV), who was dedicated to upholding

Christian morality Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a Virtue ethics, virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a Deontological ethics, deontological ethic which emphasizes duty according ...

. He opposed

obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...

literature,

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

, and

patent medicine A patent medicine (sometimes called a proprietary medicine) is a non-prescription medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name, and claimed to be effective against minor disorders a ...

. The terms ''comstockery'' and ''comstockism'' refer to his extensive

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

campaign of materials that he considered obscene, including

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

advertised or sent by mail. He used his positions in the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and the NYSSV (in association with the New York police) to make numerous arrests for obscenity and gambling. Besides these pursuits, he was also involved in efforts to suppress

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

ulent banking schemes, mail swindles, and

medical quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

Life

Comstock was born in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

, the son of Polly Ann (née Lockwood) and Thomas Anthony Comstock.Anthony Comstock, Vice Fighter, Dead: Famous Crusader Against Obscene Literature Passes Away at 71
". ''The Sun'' (New York, New York). September 22, 1915. p. 1. As a young man, he enlisted and fought for the Union in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

from December 1863 to September 1865. He served without incident in Company H, 17th Connecticut Infantry, but he objected to the

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

used by his fellow soldiers.. In 1867, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a porter, a stock clerk, and a wholesale dry goods salesman. He also worked for the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

(YMCA) in New York City. On March 5, 1873, he was appointed a special agent of the U.S. Postal Service, a position he held until January 1907. Comstock lived in

Summit, New Jersey Summit is the northernmost City (New Jersey), city of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in north Jersey, northern–central Jersey, centra ...

, from 1880 to 1915. In 1892, he built a house at 35 Beekman Road, where he lived until he died there in 1915.

Enforcement of Comstock Laws

In 1873, Comstock created the

, an institution dedicated to moral supervision of the American public. Later that year, Comstock successfully influenced the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

to pass the

Comstock Law The Comstock Act of 1873 is a series of current provisions in federal law that generally criminalize the involvement of the United States Postal Service, its officers, or a common carrier in conveying obscene matter, crime-inciting matter, or c ...

s, which made illegal the delivery by

U.S. mail The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal servi ...

, or by other modes of transportation, of "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" material, as well as prohibiting any methods of production or publication of information pertaining to the procurement of

, the prevention of conception and the prevention of

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

. Some of Comstock's ideas of what were "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" could be seen by many modern Westerners as quite broad; during his time of greatest power, some

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

s were prohibited from being sent to medical students by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

. He was a savvy political insider in New York City and was made a special agent of the United States Postal Service with police-level powers, including the right to carry a weapon. With this power, he prosecuted those that he suspected of either public distribution of

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

or commercial

Motivation

Motivated by first-hand experience with what he saw as a constant barrage of debauchery among fellow Union soldiers during the Civil War, when he gained power it was not long before Comstock aroused intense loathing from early

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

groups and strong support from

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

-based groups that were worried about public morals.

Targets of enforcement

Publishers of free love advocacy

Comstock, the self-styled "weeder in God's garden", arrested D. M. Bennett for publishing "An Open Letter to Jesus Christ" and later had the editor charged for mailing a free-love pamphlet. Bennett was prosecuted, subjected to a widely publicized trial, and imprisoned in the Albany Penitentiary for 11 months. Anthony Comstock's enforcement of his namesake laws often led him into significant legal battles with various advocates of free expression. Notably, Comstock clashed with organizations and individuals who viewed his actions as an overreach. For example, his prosecution of D. M. Bennett, the publisher of the freethought periodical '' The Truth Seeker'', highlighted the contentious nature of the Comstock laws. Bennett's conviction for mailing 'obscene' literature sparked widespread debate about the limits of censorship and freedom of speech. Comstock was also opposed to woman

suffragists Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

, notably Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister

Tennessee Celeste Claflin Tennessee Celeste Claflin, Viscountess of Montserrat (October 26, 1844 – January 18, 1923), also known as Tennie C., was an American suffragist best known as the first woman, along with her sister Victoria Woodhull, to open a Wall Street b ...

. The men's journal ''The Days' Doings'' popularized images of the sisters for three years and was instructed by its editor (while Comstock was present) to stop producing lewd images. Comstock also took legal action against the paper for advertising contraceptives. After the sisters published an exposé of an adulterous affair between the Reverend

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

and Elizabeth Tilton, he had the sisters arrested under laws forbidding the use of the postal service to distribute " obscene material". They were later acquitted of the charges.

Lottery operators

He was also involved in shutting down the Louisiana Lottery, which was the only legal lottery in the United States at the time and was notorious for corruption.

Distributors of sex manuals

One of his targets,

Ida Craddock Ida C. Craddock (August 1, 1857 – October 16, 1902) was a 19th-century American advocate of free speech and women's rights. She wrote extensively on sexuality, which led to her conviction and imprisonment for obscenity. Facing further legal pro ...

, was a mystical sexologist. Prior to her arrest, she made a career of writing sex advice manuals for married couples. She had multiple arrests due to her writings. After the first arrest in Philadelphia, she was let off with a warning. In her next trial for teaching sex courses,

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the 19th century for high-profile representations of trade union causes, and in the 20th century for several criminal matters, including the ...

encouraged her to take a plea deal which resulted in a suspended sentence and her books being burned. In Spring 1901, she published ''The Wedding Night'', a controversial pamphlet advising safe practices during marriage consummation while condemning Comstockery. A judge in Washington DC ordered her to leave the area, which she moved to New York City where Comstock also lived. She mailed her pamphlet to him to inquire about whether or not it was illegal, to which he answered that it was. After using his signature method of ordering her book across state lines under a pseudonym, he arrested her. After surviving three months in the Women's Workhouse, she was found guilty under a federal trial under the Comstock Act. Prior to her sentencing, she died by suicide. Her final work was a lengthy public suicide note specifically condemning Comstock and the unfairness of the trial, while defending her life work.

Abortion providers

Comstock also arrested the prominent abortion provider Madame Restell. In 1878, he posed as a customer seeking birth control for his wife. Restell provided him with pills and he returned the next day with the police, and arrested her. Rather than face the resulting trial, she committed suicide soon after it began.

Magnitude of impact

Through his various campaigns, he destroyed 15 tons of books, 284,000 pounds of plates for printing "objectionable" books, and nearly 4,000,000 pictures. He claimed that "books are feeders for brothels." Comstock boasted that he was responsible for 4,000 arrests. Biographers attribute 15 suicides to Comstock's relentless prosecutions..

Advocacy

He later lectured to college audiences and wrote newspaper articles to sustain his causes.

Opponents

During his career, Comstock made many and diverse enemies, such as

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born Anarchism, anarchist revolutionary, political activist, and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europ ...

and

Margaret Sanger Margaret Sanger ( Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instr ...

. In her autobiography, Goldman referred to Comstock as the leader of America's "moral

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

s."

Injuries

In later years his health was affected by a severe blow to the head. On the second of July 1873, Comstock was assaulted during an argument with a Dr. Selden, who "struck him over the forehead with a heavy seal ring" after being punched in the ribs by an umbrella (Selden accused Comstock of being "sneak"). The following year, Comstock was stabbed in the head by Charles Conroy. Conroy, long a foil for Comstock dating back to 1868, was "an unrepentant two-bit pornographer—whose name even the New York Times couldn't get right, mistakenly reporting him as John or James Conroy in his arrest notices—inadvertently kick-started Anthony Comstock's career as the most influential moralizer in American history".

Death

On September 21, 1915, Comstock died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

at the age of 71 at his home in

.Anthony Comstock Dead: Famous Vice Investigator Passed Away After Brief Illness
". ''Associated Press''. Buffalo Morning Express. September 22, 1915. p. 1.

Writings

Anthony Comstock authored several books focused on the theme of vice suppression, including ''Frauds Exposed; or, How the People Are Deceived and Robbed, and Youth Corrupted'' (New York: J. Howard Brown, 1880), ''Traps for the Young'' (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883), and ''Morals versus Art'' (New York: J. S. Ogilvie and Company, 1877). These works explore various aspects of societal corruption and the perceived moral degradation of the youth. * '' Frauds Exposed'' (1880) * '' Traps for the Young'' (1883) * '' Gambling Outrages'' (1887) * '' Morals Versus Art'' (1887) He wrote numerous magazine articles relating to similar subjects.

Legacy

Before his death, Comstock attracted the interest of a young law student,

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

, who showed interest in his causes and methods. The term ''" comstockery"'', meaning "censorship because of perceived obscenity or immorality", was coined in an editorial in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 1895.

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

used the term in 1905 after Comstock had alerted the

New York City police The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

to the content of Shaw's play ''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. It is one of the three plays Shaw published as ''Plays Unpleasant'' in 1898, alongside ''The Philanderer'' and '' Widowers' H ...

''. Shaw remarked that "Comstockery is the world's standing joke at the expense of the United States. Europe likes to hear of such things. It confirms the deep-seated conviction of the Old World that America is a provincial place, a second-rate country-town civilization after all." Comstock thought of Shaw as an "Irish smut dealer." He is thought to be a major influence for the main antagonist of ''

BioShock Infinite ''BioShock Infinite'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K. The third installment of the ''BioShock'' series, ''Infinite'' was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, a ...

'', Zachary Hale Comstock, as they share the same last names and have numerous ideological similarities.

Biographies

''Anthony Comstock: Roundsman of the Lord'' (1927),

Heywood Broun Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (; December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, later known as The Newspape ...

and Margaret Leech of the

Algonquin Round Table The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel ...

, examines Comstock's personal history and his investigative, surveillance, and law enforcement techniques. ''Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock'' (2018),

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

, by Amy B. Werbel, presents a colorful journey through Comstock's career that doubles as a new history of post–Civil War America's risqué visual and sexual culture. ''The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, And Civil Liberties In The Gilded Age'' (2021),

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...

, by Amy Sohn, focuses on Comstock's impacts on society, the

Comstock Laws The Comstock Act of 1873 is a series of current provisions in federal law that generally criminalize the involvement of the United States Postal Service, its officers, or a common carrier in conveying obscene matter, crime-inciting matter, or c ...

, and eight women charged with violating the law.

References

External links

* . * * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Comstock, Anthony 1844 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American male writers American anti-abortion activists American political writers American male non-fiction writers Anti-contraception activists Anti-pornography activists Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens Connecticut Republicans Deaths from pneumonia in New Jersey New Jersey Republicans New York Society for the Suppression of Vice people People from New Canaan, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War Politicians from Summit, New Jersey Union army soldiers