Charles Edward Russell

Charles Edward Russell was born in 1960 in Davenport, Iowa. As a prominent newspaper editor in New York and Chicago, this socialist won a Pulitzer Prize for The American Orchestra and Theodore Thomas. Most of his work was of a “pioneering nature”; he wrote about beef trusts, railroads, tenements and farm problems (Charles Edward Russell - Work as a Journalist, Politics, Works published). His article, The Tenements of Trinity Church, exposed the terrible living conditions of immigrant workers in the 8th and 9th Wards in New York City. These tenements were owned by Trinity Church, and Russell accused the church of being a business instead of a Christian organization. Large numbers of people were living in tiny, rickety, century old buildings that didn’t have running water, reliable sewage systems, or access to enough sunlight. These tenants were charged rent that was far higher than the actual worth of the tenements. In the tenements, 240 out of every 1,000 residents died in the tenements. That number is a lot higher than the 24 out of every 1,000 that died in other parts of the city (The New York Times). After Russell’s article, President Wilson and Congress passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1867, an act that regulated public housing in the city. Following this act, Congress passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1901 which provided more stringent public housing regulations. Also instituted after Russell’s book, the Multiple Dwelling Law, the Public Housing Administration, and the Public Works Administration required tenement owners to provide safer and healthier living conditions (Chapter 1: Trends in Housing).