Reitman, Ben L. (Ben Lewis), 1879-1942

Hobo, physician and anarchist, Ben Reitman (1879-1942) was an advocate for the disadvantaged in Chicago and throughout the country. Reitman left school at age ten to become a hobo. He tramped around the U.S., panhandling and riding the rails until he returned to Chicago and took a job as a laboratory boy. In 1900, he was admitted to the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Reitman started a private practice on Chicago's South Side in 1904. He continued to champion the causes of hobos and the unemployed as director of the Brotherhood Welfare Association, or "Hobo College." Through their organizing activities, Reitman met anarchist Emma Goldman. In addition to their romantic involvement, Reitman acted as Goldman's manager. In 1917, Reitman re-established his medical practice in Chicago that served prostitutes, pimps and gangsters. Reitman became a specialist in the treatment of venereal disease and opened the first venereal disease clinic at the Cook County Jail in 1924.

From the description of Papers, 1907-1942. (University of Illinois-Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 52353418