New York State Prison Inspector

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The Inspector of State Prisons was a statewide elective office created by the New York State Constitution of 1846. At the 1847 New York state election, three Inspectors were elected and then, upon taking office, so classified that henceforth every year one Inspector would be elected to a three-year term. The Prison Inspectors appointed wardens and keepers and supervised the prison administration in general. They were required to visit jointly four times a year each one of the state prisons. Besides, each one of the Inspectors was allotted the special care to one of the then existing three state prisons (Auburn State Prison, Sing Sing State Prison and Clinton State Prison) where he had to attend to business for at least one week per month.

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In 1876, a constitutional amendment abolished the office of State Prison Inspector, pending the appointment of a New York Superintendent of State Prisons who would take over the duties of the Prison Inspectors. The first Superintendent was Louis D. Pilsbury, appointed by Governor Lucius Robinson on February 17, 1877.

List of Inspectors of State Prisons

NameTook officeLeft officePartyNotes
John B. Gedney January 1, 1848December 31, 1848 Whig drew the one-year term
Isaac N. Comstock January 1, 1848December 31, 1849Whigdrew the two-year term
David D. Spencer January 1, 1848December 31, 1850Whig/Anti-Rentdrew the three-year term
Alexander H. Wells January 1, 1849December 31, 1851Whig
Darius Clark January 1, 1850December 31, 1855Democratictwo terms; elected on the Democratic and Anti-Rent tickets in 1849, on the Democratic ticket in 1852
William P. Angel January 1, 1851December 31, 1853Democratic/Anti-Rent
Henry Storms January 1, 1852December 31, 1854 Democratic
Thomas Kirkpatrick January 1, 1854December 31, 1856Whig
Norwood Bowne January 1, 1855December 31, 1857Whig/Anti-Nebraska/Anti-Rent
William A. Russell January 1, 1856December 31, 1858 American
Wesley Bailey January 1, 1857December 31, 1859Republican
William C. Rhodes January 1, 1858December 31, 1860Democratic
Josiah T. Everest January 1, 1859December 31, 1861Republican
David P. Forrest January 1, 1860December 31, 1862Republican
James K. Bates January 1, 1861December 31, 1866Republicantwo terms; elected on the Republican ticket in 1860, on the Union ticket in 1863
Abraham B. Tappen January 1, 1862December 31, 1864Unionelected on the Independent People's and Republican tickets
Gaylord J. Clarke January 1, 1863December 31, 1865Democratic
David P. Forrest January 1, 1865December 31, 1867 Union second term
Henry A. Barnum January 1, 1866December 31, 1868Republican
John Hammond January 1, 1867December 31, 1869Republican
Solomon Scheu January 1, 1868December 31, 1873Democratictwo terms
David B. McNeil January 1, 1869December 31, 1871Democratic
Fordyce L. Laflin January 1, 1870December 31, 1872Democratic
Thomas Kirkpatrick January 1, 1872December 31, 1874Republicansecond term
Ezra Graves January 1, 1873December 31, 1875Republican
Moss K. Platt January 1, 1874March 1, 1876Republicandied in office
George Wagener January 1, 1875February 17, 1877Democraticlegislated out of office by Amendment of 1876, office taken over by Superintendent of State Prisons
Rodney R. Crowley January 1, 1876February 17, 1877Democraticlegislated out of office by Amendment of 1876, office taken over by Superintendent of State Prisons
Benjamin S. W. Clark March 2, 1876December 31, 1876Democraticappointed to fill vacancy in place of Platt
Robert H. Anderson January 1, 1877February 17, 1877Democraticlegislated out of office by Amendment of 1876, office taken over by Superintendent of State Prisons

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