Olin Guy Blackwell (February 15, 1915 – March 7, 1986) was an American lawman who was the fourth and final warden of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which was situated on Alcatraz Island, California. Associate Warden to Paul J. Madigan from April 1959,[1] Blackwell served as warden of Alcatraz at its most difficult time from 1961 to 1963, when it was facing closure as a decaying prison and financing problems and at the time of the June 1962 escape. At that time, he was on vacation in Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California, and he didn't believe the men could have survived the waters and made it to shore. The prison closed March 21, 1963. [2]
Olin G. Blackwell | |
|---|---|
 Blackwell in 1961 | |
| Warden of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary | |
| In office 1961–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Paul J. Madigan |
| Succeeded by | Prison closed March 21, 1963 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Olin Guy Blackwell February 15, 1915 Georgia, United States |
| Died | March 7, 1986 (aged 71) Hart County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Prison warden |
The prison closed on March 21, 1963. Blackwell was considered to have been the least strict warden of Alcatraz, perhaps in part due to him having been a heavy drinker and smoker, nicknamed "Gypsy" and known as "Blackie" to his friends.[1] He was said to have been an excellent marksman. He had earlier served as Associate Warden of Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.[1] He died on March 7, 1986, in Hart County Georgia.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Jerry (27 January 2011). The Fading Voices of Alcatraz. AuthorHouse. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4567-1487-1. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Alcatraz Archive". SFgenealogy.org. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Person Details for Olin G Blackwell, "Georgia Death Index, 1933-1998" — FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
This biography of a person who has held a non-elected position in the federal government of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |