Glueck, Bernard, 1883-

Bernard Glueck was born in Poland in 1884 and moved with his family to Gary, Indiana in 1901. He graduated from Georgetown Medical School in 1908. He worked at Ellis Island from 1912-1916 as a public health doctor and examined immigrants. In 1917, he started the first psychiatric clinic at a U.S. prison at Sing Sing. He joined the army in 1918. Following WW I, he started a private practice in New York City and also taught at the New School for Social Research. In 1927, Dr. Glueck started a private psychiatric hospital called Stony Lodge in Ossining, New York. He retired in 1946 and turned control of the hospital over to his son, Bernard C. Glueck. He moved to North Carolina and did teaching and consulting work. Dr. Glueck died in 1972.

From the guide to the Bernard Glueck papers, 1917-1972, (History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine)

Bernard Glueck, Sr. (1884-1972), psychiatrist, was an expert witness at the infamous trial Illinois v. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.

Born in Poland, Glueck emigrated to the United States in 1900. After earning an M.D. degree from Georgetown University in 1909, he worked in public health service in Washington, D.C. and New York City. His interest in forensic psychiatry led to the founding of the first prison psychiatric clinic at Sing Sing Prison in 1915. He departed in 1918 to serve in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army. Later, he worked for the New York School of Social Work and the New York Bureau of Child Guidance.

Glueck's expertise in psychoanalysis, prison psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry led to demand for his services as an expert witness. In 1924, Clarence Darrow sought out Glueck and two other "alienists" to testify in defense of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, University of Chicago students charged with the murder and kidnapping of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. The sensational trial ended with a sentence of life imprisonment plus 99 years for each man.

Glueck founded the private Stony Lodge hospital in Ossining, New York in 1927, retiring in 1947. He continued to work for the Veterans Administration, the University of North Carolina, and John Umstead Hospital in Butner, North Carolina.

Glueck published over 60 studies in psychiatry; he authored the book Studies in Forensic Psychology, and translated several works on psychoanalysis. He was active in medical organizations, serving as president of the American Psychopathological Association in 1945. The organization honored him with the Samuel W. Hamilton Award in 1958.

From the guide to the Glueck, Bernard, Sr. Papers, 1910-1971, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)