Committee of Fifteen

Established by influential members of New York's upper class, the Committee aimed to expose and reduce vice within the city, focusing particularly on areas where police corruption and political protection facilitated illegal activities.

Through a combination of undercover investigations and public advocacy, the Committee gathered extensive evidence on urban vice, eventually presenting its findings to Governor Benjamin Barker Odell, Jr. in 1901.

The Committee of Fifteen's report, The Social Evil With Special Reference to Conditions Existing in the City of New York, published in 1902, became a cornerstone document for early 20th-century urban reform.

[2] This failure led prominent citizens, including William H. Baldwin, Jr., Edwin R. A. Seligman, and George Foster Peabody, to form the Committee of Fifteen as an independent body with greater resources and public support.

The Committee's investigations aimed to gather empirical evidence, using it to support reform-oriented legislation and pressure public officials into adopting stricter enforcement measures.

Using private detectives, often former law enforcement officers, the Committee's investigators visited saloons, gambling houses, brothels, and tenements, documenting their observations.

The Committee's records included forms titled “Disorderly Tenement House in the City of New York,” which documented each establishment's address, activities, and any signs of police collusion.

Though not a formal member, Philbin was a strong supporter, and his office frequently collaborated with the Committee, relying on its investigative reports to build cases against vice operators and their protectors within the police force.

Through publicized reports and media coverage, the Committee fostered a growing awareness of vice as a systemic issue linked to economic exploitation and governmental inaction.

This follow-up organization built upon the Committee of Fifteen's legacy, targeting loopholes and advocating for more stringent legal controls over establishments that facilitated vice.

Historians view the Committee as a crucial component of early 20th-century civic engagement, demonstrating how private citizens could influence urban policy and challenge political corruption.

Although short-lived, the Committee of Fifteen laid the groundwork for subsequent organizations and reforms, shaping public policy and setting a precedent for civic action against systemic corruption.