Dickinson S. Miller, philosopher, window climber
David Hume once observed that no matter how skeptical philosophers may profess to be, they ultimately "leave by the door not the window" (i.e. they act based on common sense rather than doing crazy stuff).
That wouldn't have been true of 79-year-old Harvard philosopher Dickinson S. Miller who took to routinely leaving his apartment through his window. Though this was due to a dispute with his landlady, not philosophical preference.
His landlady, Anna O'Brien, claimed he failed to pay his rent, routinely used up all the hot water leaving the other tenants with none, and was "very careless" about his room. So she took away his keys, shut off his electricity, and removed his furniture. But she wasn't able to legally evict him because he fought back in court.
Miller insisted that he had been diligently paying the rent until she had refused to take it, preferring him to leave. He complained that he was now forced to sleep on the floor and to come and go through the window. Plus, he had to work on his biography of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes "holding a pen in one hand and a flashlight in the other."
In April 1947, Miller convinced a court to force O'Brien to return his furniture. But O'Brien had the ultimate victory in June 1948 when she finally secured an eviction order, forcing Miller to leave.
Sounds like a pretty epic tenant/landlord battle, appropriate for Paul's 'unauthorized dwellings' series.
That wouldn't have been true of 79-year-old Harvard philosopher Dickinson S. Miller who took to routinely leaving his apartment through his window. Though this was due to a dispute with his landlady, not philosophical preference.
His landlady, Anna O'Brien, claimed he failed to pay his rent, routinely used up all the hot water leaving the other tenants with none, and was "very careless" about his room. So she took away his keys, shut off his electricity, and removed his furniture. But she wasn't able to legally evict him because he fought back in court.
Miller insisted that he had been diligently paying the rent until she had refused to take it, preferring him to leave. He complained that he was now forced to sleep on the floor and to come and go through the window. Plus, he had to work on his biography of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes "holding a pen in one hand and a flashlight in the other."
In April 1947, Miller convinced a court to force O'Brien to return his furniture. But O'Brien had the ultimate victory in June 1948 when she finally secured an eviction order, forcing Miller to leave.
Sounds like a pretty epic tenant/landlord battle, appropriate for Paul's 'unauthorized dwellings' series.
Holyoke Transcript-Telegram - Apr 2, 1947
(left) Barre Daily Times - Apr 4, 1947; (right) Buffalo News - Apr 4, 1947
Richmond Times-Dispatch - Apr 3, 1947
Comments
That kind of case is the reason for the creation of the Rental Board. Nowadays, landlords have no right to refuse a tenant their apartment keys or remove their furniture, even if the apartment is rented furnished. If one tenant uses all of the hot water, it is the landlord's responsibility to buy a water heater strong enough to furnish all tenants in hot water, even if they all decide to shower at the same time. As for the electricity, another law forbid the electric company from cutting a bad payer's electricity during the winter if the heating system is electric. If it's gas or fuel, the same law applies to the gas and fuel companies.
Posted by Yudith on 03/20/25 at 06:05 AM
Category: Philosophy | Unauthorized Dwellings | 1940s