Kinky Thompson Prohibition agents during National Prohibition (1920-1933) were widely criticized for using excessive force. And it was against both persons and property. One of the most violent may have been agent William Harvey Thompson of the Seattle, Washington, unit. Thompson’s career illustrates one of the many problems – unprofessional enforcement – that led to …
People commonly think that alcohol intoxication causes speeding. Or driving recklessly. Most think that it causes aggression such as fights, domestic violence, etc. And many think it causes people to act in sexually inappropriate ways. Of course, these are also common assertions to juries in court cases involving intoxicated persons . Especially those facing conviction …
The American Federation of Labor’s National Committee for the Modification of the Volstead Act was created in January of 1931. The Volstead Act was the law that provided for the implementation of the Eighteenth Amendment that established National Prohibition (1920-1933). Matthew Woll The National Committee for the Modification of the Volstead Act was co-founded and …
The KKK and the WCTU worked closely together to promote and defend alcohol prohibition. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) shared common interests. They both favored women’s right to vote, Protestantism, and the protection of domesticity. They also shared hostility toward immigrants. For this reason, the two groups cooperated with …
Mamie Colvin usually called herself Mrs. D. Leigh Colvin. She was born in Westview, Ohio, on June 12, 1883. She was the daughter of Rev. Levi White and Mary Belle (Hudelson) White. Her father had been elected to the New York State Assembly in 1851. Even as a child, Mamie White championed prohibition and won …
Why aren’t there alcoholic beverage nutrition labels? Other foods and beverages have them. And they’re very helpful to consumers. The TTB The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) controls alcoholic beverage labeling. Therefore, many health and consumer groups have been urging the TTB to require alcoholic beverage nutrition labels. And they’ve been doing so …
Lillian Sedwick was state head of the Indiana Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). She was also state leader of the Indiana Women of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKK). Sedwick became state head of the Indiana WKKK when she replaced Daisy Douglass Barr. Reverend Barr was another WKKK and WCTU leader As a KKK-supported candidate, Ms. Sedwick …
The LaMontages brothers were high society bootleggers during National Prohibition (1920-1933). There were four brothers – Rene, Montaigu, William and Morgan. High Society The LaMontages brothers were descendants of affluent French vintners and inherited their father’s company. They were also members of exclusive social clubs in Manhattan and Long Island. The brothers were related by …
Longtime leader of the Prohibition Party, Earl Dodge, Jr., was born in Malden, Massachusetts on December 24, 1932. He joined the Party at age 19. Later, he became chair of the Prohibition Party in 1979. It was while the party was operating under the name of the National Statesmen Party. It re-instated the Prohibition Party …
Joseph H. Choate, Jr. chaired the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers (VCL), a group of highly influential attorneys established in 1927 that promoted the repeal of National Prohibition (1920-1933). With its urging, the American Bar Association called for Repeal in 1928. Choate and the VCL worked closely with other repeal organizations such as the Women’s Organization …
