Warden Lewis E. Lawes was a prison warden and an outspoken advocate of prison reform. He began his career as a warden at Dannemora in 1905, subsequently working at first Auburn Prison and Elmira Reformatory, becoming Superintendent of the City Reformatory on Hart Island in New York City in 1915 and in 1918 taking over as warden of the Massachusetts State Prison. When he accepted Governor Al Smith's invitation to become Warden of Sing Sing in 1920, it was expected that his tenure would be as short as his predecessors, however he remained there for 21 years until his retirement in 1941.