Committee of Fourteen
Encyclopedia
The Committee of Fourteen was founded on January 16, 1905 by members of the New York Anti-Saloon League
as an association dedicated to the abolition of Raines law hotels.
in 1902, to be responsible for the spread of prostitution
in New York City
. New York
state's Raines law
of 1896 gave hotels the right to sell liquor on Sundays while saloons could not. This led saloon keepers to create rooms for let and apply for a hotel liquor license. The rooms were then used for prostitution
. The Committee attacked the problem by lobbying to have the law amended and by making on-site investigations of the "hotels". On February 15, 1905 it was successful in requiring a city inspection before the issuance of a license, and on May 1, 1905 a weakened version of the bill was passed. It presented evidence of violations to the New York State Department of Excise, to the brewers who supplied the saloons, to the surety companies who bonded the saloons, to the real estate owners, the New York City Tenement House Department, and the police. By 1911 most of the Raines Law hotels had closed up and then the Committee worked for the end of other outlets for prostitution. The Committee was dissolved in 1932 when it ran out of money.
New York Anti-Saloon League
The New York Anti-Saloon League was an American organization that worked toward the prohibition of alcohol and the closing of saloons. Located at 156 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it was an offshoot of the Ohio based Anti-Saloon League. Adna W. Leonard of Buffalo, New York was its president. The...
as an association dedicated to the abolition of Raines law hotels.
History
These hotels were identified in the final report of the Committee of FifteenCommittee of Fifteen
The Committee of Fifteen was a New York City citizens' group that lobbied for the elimination of prostitution and gambling. It was established in November 1900. The Committee hired investigators who visited city locations where prostitution and gambling was alleged to have taken place and filed...
in 1902, to be responsible for the spread of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state's Raines law
Raines law
The Raines law was passed on March 23, 1896, by the New York State Legislature. It was nominally a liquor tax, but its intention was to curb the consumption of alcohol by imposing regulations....
of 1896 gave hotels the right to sell liquor on Sundays while saloons could not. This led saloon keepers to create rooms for let and apply for a hotel liquor license. The rooms were then used for prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. The Committee attacked the problem by lobbying to have the law amended and by making on-site investigations of the "hotels". On February 15, 1905 it was successful in requiring a city inspection before the issuance of a license, and on May 1, 1905 a weakened version of the bill was passed. It presented evidence of violations to the New York State Department of Excise, to the brewers who supplied the saloons, to the surety companies who bonded the saloons, to the real estate owners, the New York City Tenement House Department, and the police. By 1911 most of the Raines Law hotels had closed up and then the Committee worked for the end of other outlets for prostitution. The Committee was dissolved in 1932 when it ran out of money.
Members of the Committee
- William H. Baldwin
- Walter G. Hooke
- Mrs. Mortimer Menken
- James Pedersen
- John P. Peters
- Mary Kingsbury SimkhovitchMary Kingsbury SimkhovitchMary Kingsbury Simkhovitch was an American social worker. -Biography:She was born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to Laura Davis Holmes and Isaac Franklin Kingsbury . She graduated from Newton High School in 1886 and received her B.A. from Boston University, where she had been a member of Phi...
- George Haven Putnam
- Francis Louis Slade
- Percy S. Straus
- Lawrence Veiller
- Frederick H. Whitin
- George E. Worthington
- Raymond B. Fosdick
Further reading
- Ruth C. Engs; Progressive Era's Health Reform Movement: A Historical Dictionary ISBN 0-275-97932-6
- Timothy J. Gilfoyle; City of Eros : New York City, prostitution, and the commercialization of sex, 1790-1920 ISBN 0-393-31108-2