Sally Stanford - Poor Beginnings, Vices Or Crimes, Or Both, San Francisco Madam, Heidi Fleiss, A Move To Legitimacy
Born May 5, 1903 (Baker City, Oregon)
Died February 1, 1982 (Greenbrae, California)
San Francisco madam
Sally Stanford was a bootlegger of illegal liquor during Prohibition in the 1930s before becoming a famous San Francisco madam during the 1930s and 1940s. A madam is a woman who manages a house of prostitution, also known as a brothel. Stanford supplied prostitutes to male customers and collected a percentage of the prostitute's fee. Experiencing financial success, Stanford opened brothels in the elite sections of San Francisco, catering to wealthy and influential men from around the world. Stanford eventually left prostitution to avoid prosecution and went into legitimate business. She was eventually elected mayor of Sausalito, California, and was the subject of a movie.
For More Information
Books
Brock, Deborah R. Making Work, Making Trouble: Prostitution as a Social Problem. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 1998.
Flowers, R. Barri. The Prostitution of Women and Girls. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998.
Stanford, Sally. The Lady of the House. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1966.
Additional Topics
Sally Stanford, named Marcia Busby at birth, was the second of six children born to a poor family in Baker, Oregon. Her mother was an English teacher and her father an unsuccessful farmer. Marcia had an older sister and a younger brother. The family commonly called her Marcy while growing up. Developers built a golf course in Baker, and at just seven years old, Marcy caddied for the golfers earnin…
A longstanding debate among criminologists concerns how to treat certain crimes. Some argue activities such as gambling, drug use, pornography, and prostitution should simply be considered social "vices" (immoral actions) and not crimes. While they may be morally offensive, they should not be the subject of criminal laws. These activities are often called "victimless crimes&#x…
Police began investigating Marcia's business in the early 1930s. Because of her criminal record in Oregon, she feared she might end up in prison again. As a precaution, she sent her adopted baby to live with her mother in Oregon. As she expected, authorities charged her with operating a house of prostitution. Marcia was acquitted but found she was stuck with the label "madam" …
Sally Stanford was not the last of the famous California madams of the twentieth century. In the 1980s Heidi Fleiss (1966–) became known as the "Hollywood Madam." Fleiss provided prostitutes to the rich and famous in Hollywood and beyond. Fleiss learned her trade while working for Elizabeth Adams, known as the infamous Madam Alex. Adams ran the most prosperous prostitution ser…
In 1941 Stanford moved her prostitution business to 1144 Pine Street. She remained there until November 1949 when a young woman under eighteen years of age was arrested for fighting on the street. She claimed she worked at Sally's place. As a result, authorities arrested Stanford and prosecuted her for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a felony criminal charge. Much to her relief,…
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