Anthony Comstock

Morals Versus Art. by Anthony Comstock

Anthony Comstock (March 7, 1844 - September 21, 1915) was a United States Postal Inspector and politician dedicated to ideas of Victorian morality. The terms "comstockery" and "Comstockism" were used for his extensive campaign to censor materials he considered indecent and obscene, such as birth control information. Comstock was born in New Canaan, Connecticut. As a young man, he enlisted and fought for the Union in the American Civil War from 1863 to 1865 in Company H, 17th Connecticut Infantry. He served without incident, but objected to the profanity used by his fellow soldiers. Afterwards he became an active worker in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in New York City.