Charles C. Lockwood

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Charles C. Lockwood (September 2, 1877 – September 21, 1958) was a Brooklyn-born lawyer and Republican politician from New York. He built a successful law career after graduating from New York Law School in 1900 and later entered public life.

Lockwood served in the New York State Assembly in 1913 and then in the State Senate from 1915 to 1922. As a senator, he was a prolific lawmaker and, notably, chaired the Joint Legislative Committee on Housing, commonly known as the Lockwood Committee, from 1919 to 1922. The committee investigated rents and housing in New York City after World War I.

What the Lockwood Committee found was alarming. There was a severe housing shortage, with about 80,000 low-priced homes needed, and around 400,000 people affected by the shortage. The committee also uncovered widespread corruption in the housing industry, including landlords, unions, suppliers, and lenders. The findings helped spark a package of laws in 1920 intended to stop rent profiteering, regulate evictions, and encourage new housing construction. The laws faced strong opposition and went through lengthy court battles, but they were eventually upheld by the courts.

After leaving the Senate, Lockwood continued to influence public life. He helped run the New York Transit Commission starting in 1926 and ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1928 (losing the race). In 1932, he was elected a justice of the New York Supreme Court (2nd District) and served until 1947, later working as a court referee.

Lockwood remained active in state affairs, contributing to ethics reform in 1954 and serving on commissions related to Long Island Rail Road issues. He died of a heart attack in Brooklyn in 1958 at age 81. He was survived by his second wife, Hilda Bisset Lockwood, and a son, John Marshall Lockwood. His first wife, Patricia Bleiler Lockwood, had died in 1957.