Search Results - Davis, Katharine Bement, 1860-1935

Katharine Bement Davis

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. 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. Davis was also known for her work as an [https://www.thefreedictionary.com/penologist#:~:text=Noun,society%20and%20its%20personal%20relationships American penologist] and a writer who had a long-lasting effect on American penal reform in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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. Davis was also remembered for her pioneering science-based prison reform and groundbreaking research about female sexuality. 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. For her relief work during the 1908 Messina earthquake, she was honored with the Red Cross Medal presented to her by President Taft, receiving honors also from Pope Pius X and from King Victor Emmanuel. Provided by Wikipedia