Stanley, Leo L. (Leo Leonidas), 1886-

Resident physician, California State Prison, San Quentin, California.

From the description of Twenty years at San Quentin : printed pamphlet, 1933. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79628021

Physician for San Quentin Prison, 1913-1951. During his leaves of absence, Stanley signed on as relief surgeon on maritime ships.

From the description of Leo L. Stanley papers, 1928-1965. (California Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 145415108

Physician for San Quentin Prison, 1913-1951.

From the description of San Quentin papers, 1889-1956. (California Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 122558911

From the description of Papers, 1928-1965. (California Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 28420353

Leo L. Stanley, born 1886 in Oregon, graduated from Cooper Medical College of Stanford University in 1912. He spent most of his life as Chief Physician and Surgeon at the California State Prison at San Quentin. He did take time out to travel, however, usually as the ship's doctor on large luxury cruises.

From the description of Leo L. Stanley diaries, 1918-1968. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702129511

Leo Leonidas Stanley was a surgeon and physician of San Quentin California State Prison from 1913-1941 and 1945-1951. Then from 1953 to 1958, Stanley served as a substitute ships doctor for cruise ships.

From the description of Leo L. Stanley papers, 1923-1968. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 215335979

Leo Leonidas Stanley (1886-1976) was a physician for the California State Prison at San Quentin, California, 1913-1951, and author of Men at Their Worst (1940), My Most Unforgettable Convicts (1967), and San Miguel at the Turn of the Century (1976).

Malcolm Beelby (1907-1986) was a pianist, conductor, and song writer who worked in the motion picture industry.

From the description of Travel accounts of convict labor camp inspections in California, 1920-1936. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702201799

Biography

Leo L. Stanley, born 1886 in Oregon, graduated from Cooper Medical College of Stanford University in 1912. He spent most of his life as Chief Physician and Surgeon at the California State Prison at San Quentin. He did take time out to travel, however, usually as the ship's doctor on large luxury cruises.

From the guide to the Leo L. Stanley diaries, 1918-1968, (Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.)

Biographical Information

Leo Stanley was born in Oregon in 1886 and raised in San Luis Obispo County, California. After receiving his bachelor's degree at Stanford University in 1903 and matriculating to Cooper Medical College in 1908, Stanley served his medical residency at San Quentin State Prison. In 1913, Stanley accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer at the prison, a position he held until his retirement in 1951. During his tenure at San Quentin, Stanley performed medical experiments on prisoners involving testicular transplants, attracting national media attention (the "Buck" Kelly case). This notoriety would cling to him until his death in 1976.

Throughout his life, Stanley traveled the world, working as a physician, studying prison hospitals, and observing conditions at prison road camps. He penned a number of articles for San Francisco Bay Area newspapers and medical journals and published several books, including My Most Unforgettable Convicts . The final years of his life were spent writing and working on his farm ("Crest Farm") in Marin County, California, with his second wife Bernice Holthouse.

From the guide to the Leo L. Stanley scrapbooks and papers, 1928-1965, 1849-1974, (California Historical Society)