Included here is basic information about Mr. Cyrus Montrose from the Alienist books. For Cyrus Montrose’s character analysis, quotes made by Cyrus Montrose, or character testimonials about Cyrus Montrose, please use the menu.
Cyrus Montrose Basic Information
Essentials
Name: Mr. Cyrus Montrose
Birth Date: Estimated the 1850s or 1860s
Birth Place: New York, NY
Personality: Calm, reserved, intelligent, steady, loyal
Appearance: The Alienist, 28:
Standing next to Kreizler was the enormous Cyrus Montrose […] That morning he was dressed in gray pants and a tightly buttoned brown jacket, and his broad, black features did not seem to even register my approach.
Parents & Siblings
Parents: Tortured and killed during the draft riots of 1863.
Siblings: Unknown.
Criminal History
Cyrus was found guilty of murdering a drunken, racist policeman with a butcher knife; the policeman had been “taking his graft in trade” (A 34) from the brothel where Cyrus worked while concurrently beating and taunting the woman. Dr. Kreizler defended Cyrus at his hearing arguing that “he had responded to the situation in the only way possible for a man with his background” (A 35). Convinced by the Doctor’s argument, the judge allowed Cyrus to work for Kreizler in order to facilitate rehabilitation.
Working Life
Education: Trained to be a “professor” (a piano player in a brothel) by his uncle.
Occupation and Places of Work: Until 1887, he played piano in a brothel that proferred black women to white men. He later became Dr. Kreizler’s valet and driver.
Private Life
Status: Shortly after the events of the books, Cyrus marries Merle Spotswood. The pair go on to have three children, one of whom eventually studies at the Harvard Medical School.
Home: Dr. Kreizler’s home at 283 East Seventeenth Street.
Transportation: Drives the Doctor’s Canadian calash and barouche carriages.
Past/Present Servants: None.
Friends/Associates: Laszlo Kreizler, Stevie Taggert, John Moore, Sara Howard, Marcus and Lucius Isaacson.
Past/Present Love Interests: Merle Spotswood.