Samuel June Barrows (1845-1909) was a Unitarian clergyman and editor of the Christian Register. He served one term in Congress, elected from the 10th district in Boston in 1896. His main interest, however, was prison reform. He was elected corresponding secretary of the Prison Association of New York in 1900 and made it a power for reform, both in New York and the nation, being instrumental in the enactment of the federal parole law. He was appointed International Prison Commissioner for the United States by President Cleveland in 1895 and had much to do with the development of the International Prison Congress, of which he was elected president in 1905.
From the guide to the Barrows, Samuel J., Papers, 1897-1910, (Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)
