Clinton Truman Duffy (1898–1982) was the warden of San Quentin State Prison between 1940 and 1952. [1] He was a prominent opponent of capital punishment. [1]
His father was a guard at San Quentin, he was raised on the prison grounds, and his wife's father was also a San Quentin guard. [1]
The 1954 film Duffy of San Quentin tells his story as a warden.[ citation needed] [2] His accomplishments during his tenure as warden include: [1] [3]
He was known to walk unarmed among the prisoners and to chat with them. [1] [3] Although he "supervised 90 executions during his tenure as warden", he opposed capital punishment. [1]
After he left San Quentin, he worked for the state's parole board; in addition, he wrote books and gave lectures about capital punishment. [1] He died in Walnut Creek, California, at the age of 84. [1]