Amos Pilsbury (1805-1873) was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and died in Albany, New York. He married Emily Heath in 1826. He worked as warden of the Wethersfield State Prison in Connecticut for fifteen years, after succeeding his father, Moses, in 1830. In 1845, the Albany County Penitentiary, a leader in the reform of local penal institutions, was established under his direction. As the superintendent he managed the prison continuously for twenty-seven years as it became a model of reform for other urban areas, largely because it was one of the few prisons of the day that paid its own way. Amos gained world recognition for his moderate prison-reform methods when he was sent to the International Penitentiary Congress in London, England, in 1872. Mary Baker Eddy's youngest brother, George Sullivan Baker, worked for the Pilsburys in the Wethersfield State Prison in Connecticut from 1835-1838 and remained friends with Amos afterwards.

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