Charles S. Whitman
Encyclopedia
Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868 – March 29, 1947) served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention from New York in 1916.
in 1890.
He served as a New York City municipal judge and as New York County District Attorney
.
As District Attorney
, he gained national fame in prosecuting New York City Police Lt. Charles Becker
for the July 16, 1912 murder of Times Square
gambling house operator Herman Rosenthal in front of West 43rd Street's Hotel Metropole (owned by Lower East Side Tammany Hall
leader "Big Tim" Sullivan
). Later, as Governor, Whitman signed Becker's death warrant and presided over his electrocution
. Whitman was a member of the Union League Club of New York
and, fearing he was under surveillance, used the clubhouse to secretly interview witnesses during the Becker case.
He served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918
In 1916, Whitman won re-election as Governor against reform Democratic Judge Samuel Seabury
. In 1918
, he was defeated for re-election by Tammany Hall
Democrat Alfred E. Smith (then President of the New York City Board of Aldermen.)
He died on March 29, 1947.
His portrait was painted in 1921 by the Swiss-born American portrait painter Adolfo Müller-Ury
(1862-1947) and is the property of the New York State Capitol at Albany; Müller-Ury had previously painted a portrait of his baby daughter, Olive (the future Mrs Parsons), which was much admired when exhibited, and was given by her to the Preservation Society of Newport County, R.I. where it now hangs at Green Animals.
, married Christine Todd
, who went on to be a Republican Governor
of New Jersey
and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
.
Biography
He was born on September 29, 1868, and graduated from Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1890.
He served as a New York City municipal judge and as New York County District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
.
As District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
, he gained national fame in prosecuting New York City Police Lt. Charles Becker
Charles Becker
Charles Becker was a New York City police officer in the 1890s-1910s and who was tried, convicted and executed for ordering the murder of a Manhattan gambler, Herman Rosenthal in the Becker-Rosenthal trial. Becker was the first American police officer to receive the death penalty for murder...
for the July 16, 1912 murder of Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
gambling house operator Herman Rosenthal in front of West 43rd Street's Hotel Metropole (owned by Lower East Side Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
leader "Big Tim" Sullivan
Timothy Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was a New York politician who controlled Manhattan's Bowery and Lower East Side districts as a prominent figure within Tammany Hall. He was euphemistically known as "Dry Dollar", as the "Big Feller", and, later, as "Big Tim"...
). Later, as Governor, Whitman signed Becker's death warrant and presided over his electrocution
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. Whitman was a member of the Union League Club of New York
Union League Club of New York
The Union League Club of New York is a private social club in New York City. Its fourth and current clubhouse, which opened on February 2, 1931, is a building designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris, III, located at 38 East 37th Street between Madison and Park Avenue in the Murray Hill section of...
and, fearing he was under surveillance, used the clubhouse to secretly interview witnesses during the Becker case.
He served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918
In 1916, Whitman won re-election as Governor against reform Democratic Judge Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury (judge)
Samuel Seabury was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of William Jones Seabury, professor of canon law and descendant of Bishop Samuel Seabury, and Alice Van Wyck Beare. He graduated from New York Law School in 1893, and was admitted to the bar in 1894...
. In 1918
New York gubernatorial election, 1918
The 1918 New York state election was held on November 5, 1918, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the State Engineer, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York...
, he was defeated for re-election by Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
Democrat Alfred E. Smith (then President of the New York City Board of Aldermen.)
He died on March 29, 1947.
His portrait was painted in 1921 by the Swiss-born American portrait painter Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Muller-Ury was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.-Heritage and early life in Switzerland:...
(1862-1947) and is the property of the New York State Capitol at Albany; Müller-Ury had previously painted a portrait of his baby daughter, Olive (the future Mrs Parsons), which was much admired when exhibited, and was given by her to the Preservation Society of Newport County, R.I. where it now hangs at Green Animals.
Legacy
His grandson, John R. WhitmanJohn Whitman (New Jersey)
John Russell Whitman is an American businessman who served as First Gentleman of New Jersey for seven years. Whitman has had a long career in banking and financial services, including working at Citigroup. Whitman is the grandson of Charles S. Whitman, 41st Governor of New York. He is the husband...
, married Christine Todd
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
, who went on to be a Republican Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
.
Further reading
- Robert Slayton's biography, Empire Statesman: the Rise and Redemption of Al Smith, discusses Whitman's governorship and campaigns for the office against Smith.
- Whitman is a character in E.L. Doctorow's historical novel RagtimeRagtime (novel)Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. This work of historical fiction is primarily set in the New York City area from about 1900 until the United States entry into World War I in 1917...
(although he does not figure significantly in the later film based on the novel).
External links
- Charles Seymour Whitman at FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- People v. Seidenshner 210 NY 341
- People v. Becker 210 NY 274
- People v. Becker 215 NY 126