Edwin B. Swope — Warden of Alcatraz, 1948–1955

Full Name: Edwin Burnham Swope
Born: May 6, 1888 — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Died: December 26, 1955 — San Francisco, California
Position: Second Warden of the United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz
Years at Alcatraz: 1948–1955
Predecessor: James A. Johnston
Successor: Paul J. Madigan
Nickname: “Cowboy”

Early Life

Edwin Burnham Swope was born on May 6, 1888, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Long before becoming associated with Alcatraz, Swope established himself in New Mexico politics and public administration. A Democrat, he served as chairman of the Albuquerque City Commission from approximately 1923 to 1925, an office that functioned much like that of mayor under Albuquerque's commission form of government. He was also appointed New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands by Governor Arthur T. Hannett.

Swope's Southwestern background remained a noticeable part of his personality throughout his career. He eventually acquired the nickname “Cowboy.” Contemporary descriptions remembered him wearing Western-style clothing, including cowboy boots and turquoise jewelry, particularly when he was away from his official duties.

Career in Corrections

Before taking command of Alcatraz, Swope had accumulated considerable experience in prison administration. His previous assignments included serving as warden of the New Mexico State Penitentiary, the federal penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington, and the United States Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Indiana.

By the late 1940s, therefore, Swope was not a newcomer to corrections. He had spent years dealing with difficult prisoners, institutional discipline and the administrative problems associated with large prisons.

That experience would soon take him to America's most famous maximum-security penitentiary.

Appointment as Warden of Alcatraz

In 1948, Edwin B. Swope was selected to succeed James A. Johnston, who had been warden of Alcatraz since the federal penitentiary opened in 1934.

Swope became the second warden in the history of the federal prison on Alcatraz Island. He and his wife lived in the large Warden's House immediately beside the main cellhouse, as the other Alcatraz wardens did. The National Park Service specifically records the Swope family living there between 1948 and 1955.

Taking over Alcatraz was a significant assignment. Johnston had directed the prison for approximately fourteen years and had played a major role in creating the procedures and reputation that made Alcatraz famous. Swope inherited an institution already known throughout the country for housing troublesome and high-profile federal prisoners.

Swope's Personality and Leadership Style

Swope was an interesting combination of strict disciplinarian and limited prison reformer.

He reportedly spoke softly and was described as a slender man with gray hair and rimless glasses. Away from the prison, his Western clothing reflected his New Mexico roots and helped earn him the “Cowboy” nickname. He was also known to enjoy horse racing.

As a warden, however, Swope could be demanding.

Accounts of his administration describe him as a tough and sometimes stubborn administrator who expected his regulations to be followed closely. His relationship with both inmates and some members of the correctional staff appears to have been more difficult than that of his predecessor. Former Alcatraz personnel interviewed by the National Park Service recalled that Swope could keep the staff “agitated” and that conditions among employees could sometimes be tense during his administration.

That did not mean Swope believed prison life should consist entirely of punishment.

Rehabilitation and Changes at Alcatraz

During Swope's tenure, several recreational and rehabilitative opportunities for prisoners were expanded.

Within roughly his first eighteen months at Alcatraz, Swope encouraged painting and other artistic activity among inmates and supported a prisoners' orchestra. These programs reflected his belief that carefully controlled recreational activities could serve a useful purpose even inside a maximum-security institution.

In 1950, motion pictures became another part of life at Alcatraz. Movies were periodically shown to prisoners, reportedly about every other weekend. They were shown in areas such as the chapel and, at various times, an auditorium above the dining hall.

These changes did not transform Alcatraz into an ordinary penitentiary. Security remained the institution's primary concern. Inmates continued to live under strict schedules, repeated counts, closely supervised work assignments and the extensive security precautions for which Alcatraz had become famous.

Swope therefore represented an unusual combination: he was willing to permit selected activities intended to improve morale, but he did not relax the fundamental security structure of Alcatraz.

A Remarkably Quiet Period for Escapes

One of the most notable features of Swope's administration is what did not happen.

According to historical accounts of his tenure, there were no recognized Alcatraz escape attempts while Edwin Swope was warden. His seven-year administration is unique among Alcatraz wardens in this respect.

This was particularly significant given what had occurred immediately before he arrived.

During Johnston's administration, Alcatraz had experienced numerous escape attempts, including the violent Battle of Alcatraz in May 1946, when armed inmates temporarily took control of portions of the cellhouse. By the time Swope assumed command two years later, maintaining tight control of the institution was an obvious priority.

His years as warden — 1948 through early 1955 — were therefore comparatively quiet in terms of major escape activity.

Life in the Warden's House

Like the other Alcatraz wardens, Swope lived only a short distance from the inmates he supervised.

The Warden's House stood beside the lighthouse near the main cellhouse. Completed in 1921, the large residence contained approximately fifteen rooms and served as the official residence of Alcatraz's commanding officer and later its federal wardens.

The National Park Service preserves a photograph showing Warden and Mrs. Edwin Swope celebrating Christmas inside the residence during their years on the island.

The arrangement illustrates one of the unusual features of Alcatraz. The prison was not simply a workplace. Wardens, correctional officers and many of their families actually lived on the island, creating a small residential community only yards away from some of America's most closely guarded federal prisoners.

Famous Prisoners During Swope's Administration

Swope's years as warden overlapped with the imprisonment of several notable Alcatraz inmates.

One of the most famous was Robert Franklin Stroud, better known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” Stroud had been transferred to Alcatraz in 1942 and remained there throughout Swope's administration.

Other prisoners who passed through Alcatraz during the late 1940s and early 1950s included experienced bank robbers, kidnappers, racketeers and inmates who had proven difficult to control at other federal institutions.

The prison's purpose remained essentially unchanged: Alcatraz was intended to hold federal prisoners who presented serious disciplinary, security or escape problems elsewhere in the federal prison system.

Relationship With Guards and Prisoners

Swope's reputation among the people who lived and worked at Alcatraz was mixed.

While his willingness to introduce activities such as art, music and movies suggests that he recognized the value of controlled recreation, he was also remembered as an unusually rigid administrator. Historical accounts have characterized him as less popular with both officers and inmates than Johnston had been.

One anecdote associated with Swope illustrates his dry view of prison life. An inmate reportedly complained to him about receiving an extraordinarily long sentence. Swope responded with the observation that everyone, prisoners and staff alike, was essentially “doing life.”

Whether humorous or philosophical, the story became representative of Swope's personality: quiet, firm and unsentimental.

Retirement from Alcatraz

By early 1955, Swope was approaching the end of a long career in corrections.

He resigned as warden in January 1955, at approximately 66 years old. Contemporary newspaper reporting from January 1955 announced that he would be leaving Alcatraz and that Paul J. Madigan, then warden of the federal penitentiary at Terre Haute, would succeed him.

Madigan was especially familiar with Alcatraz because he had previously served there as a correctional officer and associate warden.

Swope's departure brought his approximately seven-year administration of the island prison to an end.

Death

Edwin Burnham Swope did not enjoy a long retirement.

He died in San Francisco on December 26, 1955, only months after leaving Alcatraz. He was 67 years old.

His death brought to a close a career that had taken him from New Mexico politics into the upper levels of American prison administration and ultimately to one of the most famous correctional assignments in the world.

Legacy at Alcatraz

Edwin B. Swope tends to receive less attention in Alcatraz history than James A. Johnston, largely because Johnston established the federal penitentiary and remained warden for fourteen years.

Nevertheless, Swope presided over an important transitional period.

He maintained the strict security system established under Johnston while introducing or encouraging additional recreational activities such as inmate painting, music and motion pictures. His administration also stands apart because no recognized escape attempt occurred during his tenure as warden.

Swope therefore occupies a distinctive place in Alcatraz history. He was neither simply a reformer nor merely a disciplinarian. He combined elements of both approaches while maintaining the extraordinary level of control expected at the federal government's most famous maximum-security prison.

When Swope stepped down in 1955, Alcatraz still had eight years of operation remaining. His successor, Paul J. Madigan, would inherit a prison increasingly affected by high operating costs, deteriorating facilities and questions about whether the island penitentiary still had a place in the federal prison system.

Edwin B. Swope — Quick Facts

• Full Name: Edwin Burnham Swope

• Born: May 6, 1888

• Birthplace: Santa Fe, New Mexico

• Died: December 26, 1955

• Place of Death: San Francisco, California

• Nickname: “Cowboy”

• Political Affiliation: Democratic

• Alcatraz Position: Warden

• Warden Number: Second Warden of Federal Alcatraz

• Term: 1948–1955

• Preceded By: James A. Johnston

• Succeeded By: Paul J. Madigan

• Previous Prison Experience: New Mexico State Penitentiary, McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary and U.S. Penitentiary Terre Haute

• Notable Programs: Inmate painting, music/orchestra activities and periodic motion pictures

• Escape Attempts During His Administration: None recorded