Katharine Bement Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 1913 | |
| Born | January 15, 1860 |
| Died | December 10, 1935 (aged 75) |
| Education | Rochester Free Academy |
| Alma mater | Vassar College, Barnard College, University of Chicago (first female Fellow in Political Science-Economics to earn a Ph.D.) |
| Occupation(s) | Progressive era social reformer and criminologist |
| Employer(s) | Dunkirk Academy, Brooklyn Heights Seminary for Girls, Philadelphia's College Settlement House, New York State Reformatory for Women, New York City Department of Correction, New York City Bureau of Social Hygiene |
| Known for | Correction Commissioner; the first woman to head a major New York City agency; research in female sexuality |
| Parent(s) | Oscar Bill Davis and Frances Freeman |
| Relatives | Two brothers, two sisters |
| Awards | Designated "one of the three most distinguished women in America" by the Panama-Pacific Exposition; honorary degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Western Reserve and Yale |
Katharine Bement Davis (January 15, 1860 – December 10, 1935) was an American progressive era social reformer and criminologist who became the first woman to head a major New York City agency when she was appointed Correction Commissioner on January 1, 1914.[1][2][3] Davis was a former school teacher from upstate New York, who later became one of the nation's first female doctorates when she received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago in 1901.[4] Davis was also known for her work as an American penologist and a writer who had a long-lasting effect on American penal reform in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[5]
Katharine Bement David was designated as one of the three most distinguished women in America by the Panama-Pacific Exposition, alongside Zelia Nuttall and Jane Addams.[1][6] Davis was also remembered for her pioneering science-based prison reform and groundbreaking research about female sexuality.[1] She was also the first woman to run for a New York statewide office on a major party ticket, on the Progressive party's 1914 slate for State Constitutional Convention seat.[7] For her relief work during the 1908 Messina earthquake, she was honored with the Red Cross Medal presented to her by President Taft,[8] receiving honors also from Pope Pius X and from King Victor Emmanuel.[9]
- ^ a b c McCarthy, Thomas C. (1997). New York City's Suffragist Commissioner: Correction's Katherine Bement Davis. New York, New York: New York City Department of Correction.
- ^ Marshall, Edward (January 11, 1914). "Dr. Katherine Bement Davis Talks of Her Hopes for Bettering Conditions". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
Miss Katharine Bement Davis, who has been appointed Commissioner of Correction by Mayor Mitchel, is a very earnest woman. Her work at Bedford Reformatory, of which something was told in The Times a year ago, showed that, and it also proved her able.
- ^ "New York's First Woman Commissioner Of Correction. Dr. Katherine Bement Davis Talks of Her Hopes for Bettering Conditions. The Tombs an Awful Problem to Face". The New York Times. January 11, 1914. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
Miss Katherine Bement Davis, who has been appointed Commissioner of Correction by Mayor Mitchel, is a very earnest woman. Her work at Bedford Reformatory, of which something was told in The Times a year ago, showed that, and it also proved her able.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Katharine Bement Davis | American penologist | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ Simpson, Greg Ed. (2008). Problems Women Solved: Being the Story of the Woman's Board of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Read Books. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-4437-4498-0. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ "KBD Bio Chapter 1". www.correctionhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ "When They Were Girls :: Katharine Bement Davis". Clyx.com. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ "Katharine Bement Davis Biography, Chapter 10". NY Correction History Society. 1997. Retrieved 2024-08-26.