Amos Pinchot

Amos Richards Eno Pinchot (December 6, 1873 – February 18, 1944) was an American lawyer and reformist. He never held public office but managed to exert considerable influence in reformist circles and did much to keep progressive and Georgist ideas alive in the 1920s.

Early life and education Pinchot was born in Paris, to American parents, James Wallace Pinchot (1831–1908), a successful New York City wallpaper merchant and supporter of the conservation movement and Mary Jane Pinchot (née Eno, 1838–1914), daughter of one of New York City's wealthiest real estate developers, Amos Eno. His siblings were the conservation leader Gifford Pinchot, and Antoinette E. Pinchot who later married Alan Johnstone. The Pinchots were Episcopalians.

Pinchot was educated at St. Paul's, and at Yale where he was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones, He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1897. In 1898, Pinchot enrolled at Columbia University to study law. Later that same year, he left school to fight in the Spanish–American War. Pinchot enlisted in the 1st New York Volunteer Cavalry and served in Puerto Rico. After the war ended, he enrolled in New York Law School in 1899 and was admitted to the bar association in New York in 1900.

Career Shortly after being admitted to the bar, Pinchot was appointed deputy assistant district attorney for New York County. He left the position in 1901. They had two children, Rosamond and Gifford Pinchot. The couple divorced in 1918.

In August 1919, Pinchot married magazine writer Ruth Pickering. With Pickering, Pinchot would have two more children: Mary Eno (later Mary Pinchot Meyer) and Antoinette "Tony" Pinchot (later Bradlee).

Later years and death On January 24, 1938, Pinchot's eldest daughter Rosamond committed suicide at the age of 33. Rosamond's death sent Pinchot into a deep depression and, in August 1942, he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. He lost a considerable amount of blood during the attempt and would never regain his health. He was confined to hospitals and sanatoriums for the remainder of his life.

Pinchot died of bronchial pneumonia on February 18, 1944, in a Bronx sanatorium. His funeral was held at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Amos Pinchot is buried in the Pinchot family plot in Milford Cemetery in Milford, Pennsylvania.

Works What's the Matter with America: The Meaning of the Progressive Movement and the Rise of the New Party. n.c.: Amos Pinchot, 1912. History of the Progressive Party, 1912–1916. Introduction by Helene Maxwell Hooker. New York: New York University Press, 1958.