Roberts Vaux
Encyclopedia
Roberts Vaux was an American jurist, abolitionist, and philanthropist.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, the son of a well-known Quaker
family and connected by marriage to another such family, the Wistars. He received his education at private schools of Philadelphia, was admitted to the bar in 1808, and rose rapidly to prominence in his profession.
In 1835 he became judge of the court of common pleas of Philadelphia. He was one of the originators of the public-school system of Pennsylvania, and for fourteen years held the first presidency of the board of public schools of Philadelphia.
He was helped found the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, the School for the Blind and asylum, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
, and other benevolent societies of Pennsylvania. He had a part in the creation of the Frankford Asylum for the Insane (now known as Friends Hospital
).
Early in life Vaux became interested in prison matters, and as a penologist he acquired his greatest distinction. He served as Secretary and Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison Society. He was one of the commissioners to adapt the law of Pennsylvania to the separate system of imprisonment, and also to build the Eastern State Penitentiary
, and labored zealously in the cause of prison reform. He was a member of scientific societies in Europe, and of the Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania.
He refused several public posts offered by President Andrew Jackson
, among which was the mission to St. Petersburg. He published Eulogium on Benjamin Ridgway Smith (Philadelphia, 1809); Memoirs of the Lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford (1815); Memoirs of the Life of Anthony Benezet
(1817; with alterations, York, 1817; French translation, Paris, 1821); and Notices of the Original and Successive Efforts to improve the Discipline of the Prison at Philadelphia (1826).
His son, Richard Vaux
, was mayor of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, the son of a well-known Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
family and connected by marriage to another such family, the Wistars. He received his education at private schools of Philadelphia, was admitted to the bar in 1808, and rose rapidly to prominence in his profession.
In 1835 he became judge of the court of common pleas of Philadelphia. He was one of the originators of the public-school system of Pennsylvania, and for fourteen years held the first presidency of the board of public schools of Philadelphia.
He was helped found the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, the School for the Blind and asylum, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
Philadelphia Savings Fund Society
The Philadelphia Savings Fund Society , originally called the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, was a savings bank headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. PSFS was founded in December 1816, becoming the first savings bank to organize and do business in the United States...
, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
, and other benevolent societies of Pennsylvania. He had a part in the creation of the Frankford Asylum for the Insane (now known as Friends Hospital
Friends Hospital
Friends Hospital, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is recognized as one of the premier mental hospitals in the United States.Founded by Quakers in 1813 as "The Asylum for Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason," and later known as the "Frankford Asylum for the Insane," it was the first...
).
Early in life Vaux became interested in prison matters, and as a penologist he acquired his greatest distinction. He served as Secretary and Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison Society. He was one of the commissioners to adapt the law of Pennsylvania to the separate system of imprisonment, and also to build the Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
, and labored zealously in the cause of prison reform. He was a member of scientific societies in Europe, and of the Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania.
He refused several public posts offered by President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, among which was the mission to St. Petersburg. He published Eulogium on Benjamin Ridgway Smith (Philadelphia, 1809); Memoirs of the Lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford (1815); Memoirs of the Life of Anthony Benezet
Anthony Benezet
Anthony Benezet, or Antoine Bénézet , was a French-born American educator and abolitionist.-Biography:Anthony Benezet was born in Saint-Quentin, France, on 31 January 1713. His family were Huguenots. Because of the persecution of Protestants after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685,...
(1817; with alterations, York, 1817; French translation, Paris, 1821); and Notices of the Original and Successive Efforts to improve the Discipline of the Prison at Philadelphia (1826).
His son, Richard Vaux
Richard Vaux
Richard Vaux was an American politician. He was mayor of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
, was mayor of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Legacy
Roberts Vaux High School in Philadelphia is named in his honor.Sources
- Webster's Biographical Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Co.: Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
(1980).
External links
- Biography at Virtualology.com
- Article at Haverford College
- The Vaux Family Papers, including correspondence, journals, scrapbooks and other materials, are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
.