Ben Lewis Reitman, 1907-1989Born in 1879, Reitman, the "hobo physician," gained his unconventional reputation as an anarchist, Emma Goldman's lover, and for his advocacy of causes both illegal and unpopular.
After completing medical school in 1904, Reitman tended the needs of hobos, prostitutes, the poor, and a myriad of "social outcasts." After meeting Emma Goldman in 1908, Reitman and the famous anarchist toured the continent promoting free speech and contraception, among other causes. Reitman's advocacy of birth control won him a six-month prison sentence, which he served in 1917. During the 1920s and 1930s, Reitman concerned himself with the prevention of venereal disease. He became director of the Chicago Society for the Prevention of Venereal Disease in the 1930s. Chicago's Dill Pickle Club also occupied Reitman during the 1920s and 1930s, and he eventually became its chairman and press agent. Reitman died of a heart attack in 1942, leaving behind a vast collection of papers, letters, and photographs. . Perhaps most interesting is Reitman's correspondence with Emma Goldman, which consists of over 400 letters. The collection also contains a number of Reitman's own essays, articles, and books, both published and unpublished. Other materials are of an organizational nature, consisting of reports and documents from the several institutions that Reitman was a member of, such as the Hobo College, Society for the Prevention of Venereal Disease, and Brotherhood Welfare Association. The collection also holds a significant amount of secondary material related to Ben Reitman.