Robert John Kirby
| Robert John Kirby | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Warden of Sing Sing | |
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In office 1941–1944 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 20, 1889 Beekmantown, Clinton, New York, USA |
| Died | January 15, 1944 (aged 54) Ossining, Westchester, New York, USA |
| Resting place | St. Vincent Cemetery Attica, NY |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna Lillian (Conners) Kirby (1935-1944) {his death} |
| Children |
Ada F. (Kirby) Kennerson Irene E. (Kirby) Eagan Mary Gladys (Kirby) Janes Robert J. Kirby, Jr. G. Shirley (Kirby) Brei Edward A. Kirby |
| Parents |
Edward Albert Kirby Bridget Graham (Loughan) Kirby |
Anna Lillian (Conners) Kirby
(1914-1934) {her death}
Robert John Kirby (October 20, 1889 – January 15, 1944) was the Warden of Sing Sing prison from 1941 until 1944. Highly regarded for his integrity, Kirby brought respect back to the administration of Sing Sing, and order to the prison after the often controversial tenure of Lewis Lawes.
Kirby was born on October 20, 1889 in Beekmantown, NY to dairy farmer Edward A. Kirby and his wife Bridget G. (Loughan) Kirby. He entered state service in October, 1909 as a $22-per-month hospital attendant at Dannemora State Hospital, and in 1911 was appointed Prison Guard at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, NY. He remained there until 1917, when he left State Corrections to operate the family farm due to his father's illness.
Upon his father's death in 1920, Kirby returned to the New York State Department of Correctional Services as a Prison Guard at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. On March 1, 1928, he was named Sergeant of the Guard at Clinton.
Upon its opening on September 1, 1931, Kirby was appointed Principal Keeper at Attica Correctional Facility, where, despite a prison population as high as 2,286, there was never a prison escape during his decade-long tenure.
Kirby was named Warden of Sing Sing Correctional Facility by New York Governor Herbert Lehman on July 1, 1941 following the resignation of Lewis Lawes. At the time of his appointment, New York State Corrections Commissioner John A. Lyons termed Kirby as “the most outstanding prison man in the state”, according to the Buffalo Courier-Express. The Batavia Times reported of Kirby that “many stated they had never heard a man leaving an institution with so many friends among the officials and also the high regard of the inmates of the prison.”
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