Jonathan H. Green

Who was Jonathan H. Green?

Library of Congress catalog gives his date of birth as 1812.

Jonathan Harrington Green was an American gambler, inventor, writer and later reformer in New York City during the early-to mid 19th century. In his youth, he was known as one of the most skilled card players in the United States. Following his retirement from gambling in 1842, he became an active crusader against illegal gambling and was responsible for enacting anti-gambling laws in several states.

As an agent for the New York Association for the Suppression of Gambling, he conducted an exhaustive report detailing illegal gambling operations active in the city in 1850-51. He later toured the country as a lecturer and eventually published his memoirs entitled Twelve Days in the Tombs, The Gambler's Life and The Reformed Gambler.