He was considered to be a highly strict disciplinarian and a devout reformist who imposed a number of rules upon the prison including a strict code of silence, which led to him being nicknamed the 'Golden Rule Warden' from his San Quentin days.
Han blev anset for at håndhæve en meget streng disciplin og være en from reformist der indførte en række regler i fængslet, herunder et strengt kodeks for stilhed, hvilket førte til, at han fik tilnavnet "Golden Rule Warden" allerede i dagene på San Quentin.