List of individuals executed by the United States
Encyclopedia
This is a list of individuals executed by the United States. The United States federal government
(in comparison to the separate states) applies the death penalty
for certain crimes: treason
, espionage
, federal murder
, large scale drug trafficking
and attempting to kill a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases. Military law allows execution of soldiers for several crimes. Executions by the federal government have been rare compared to those by state governments. Twenty-six federal (including military) executions have been carried out since 1950. Three of those (none of them military) have occurred in the modern post-Gregg
era. This list only includes those executed under federal jurisdiction. The Federal Bureau of Prisons
manages the housing and execution of federal death row prisoners. , fifty-two people are on the federal death row
for men at the Federal Correctional Complex
in Terre Haute, Indiana
; two women located at Federal Medical Center, Carswell
in Fort Worth, Texas
, are on the federal death row.
restored the death penalty under federal law for drug offenses and some types of murder. President of the United States
Bill Clinton
signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, expanding the federal death penalty in 1994. In response to the Oklahoma City bombing
, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
was passed in 1996. Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
became the only federal prison to execute people and one of only two prisons to hold federally condemned people.
Pre-Furman
executions by the federal government were normally carried out within the prison system of the state where the crime was committed. Only in cases where the crime was committed in a territory, in the District of Columbia or in a state without the death penalty was it the norm for the court to designate the state in which the death penalty would be carried out, as the federal prison system lacked an execution facility.
Timothy McVeigh
was executed on June 11, 2001, for his involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing
. It was the first federal execution since 1963. Other executions by the United States include Juan Raul Garza
on June 19, 2001, and Louis Jones Jr. on March 18, 2003. Sentences of death are now handed down by the jury
, and the jury's decision is read and approved or disapproved by the judge
. No recommendation for the death penalty from a jury has yet been refused by the judge at sentencing.
As of May 14, 2010, 52 male federal death row prisoners were housed at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute. As of 2010, the two women on federal death row, Angela Johnson
and Lisa M. Montgomery
, are held at Federal Medical Center, Carswell
. Two people have been re-sentenced since 1976 to life in prison and one was commuted to life in prison by President Bill Clinton
in 2001.
.
The federal prison system never operated its own gas chamber
or electric chair
for pre-Furman executions. Pre-Furman executions carried out within the federal prison system were by hanging
. All federally-mandated executions by lethal gas or electrocution were carried out in state prisons.
People who are under 18 at the time of commission of the capital crime or mentally retarded are legally precluded from being executed.
era. This list only includes those executed under federal jurisdiction. Since 1963, three people have been executed by the federal government of the United States. All were executed by lethal injection
.
on June 18, 1885, when he was 23 years old, for his role in a robbery and murder committed when he was 10 years old.
Between 1950 and 1963, 13 people were executed (not counting those executed under military law):
The assassinations of Lincoln and Garfield were prosecuted by the federal government because they took place in the District of Columbia
. The assassin of William McKinley
, Leon Czolgosz
was tried and executed for murder by New York state authorities. The accused assassin of John F. Kennedy
, Lee Harvey Oswald
, would presumably have been tried for murder by Texas
state authorities had he not been killed by Jack Ruby
. Only after Kennedy's death was it made a federal crime to murder the President of the United States
.
Since 1865 (American Civil War
) only one person has been executed for a purely military offense.
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
(in comparison to the separate states) applies the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
for certain crimes: treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, federal murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, large scale drug trafficking
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
and attempting to kill a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases. Military law allows execution of soldiers for several crimes. Executions by the federal government have been rare compared to those by state governments. Twenty-six federal (including military) executions have been carried out since 1950. Three of those (none of them military) have occurred in the modern post-Gregg
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
era. This list only includes those executed under federal jurisdiction. The Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
manages the housing and execution of federal death row prisoners. , fifty-two people are on the federal death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for men at the Federal Correctional Complex
Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States...
in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
; two women located at Federal Medical Center, Carswell
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
The Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility that provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . Its address is...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, are on the federal death row.
History
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, , , established the creation of a drug-free America as a policy goal and established the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The media campaign mentioned in the act later became the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign....
restored the death penalty under federal law for drug offenses and some types of murder. President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, expanding the federal death penalty in 1994. In response to the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214, is an act of Congress signed into law on April 24, 1996...
was passed in 1996. Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States...
became the only federal prison to execute people and one of only two prisons to hold federally condemned people.
Pre-Furman
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
executions by the federal government were normally carried out within the prison system of the state where the crime was committed. Only in cases where the crime was committed in a territory, in the District of Columbia or in a state without the death penalty was it the norm for the court to designate the state in which the death penalty would be carried out, as the federal prison system lacked an execution facility.
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
was executed on June 11, 2001, for his involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
. It was the first federal execution since 1963. Other executions by the United States include Juan Raul Garza
Juan Garza
Juan Raul Garza was an American murderer and drug trafficker who was executed for a federal crime.-History:...
on June 19, 2001, and Louis Jones Jr. on March 18, 2003. Sentences of death are now handed down by the jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
, and the jury's decision is read and approved or disapproved by the judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. No recommendation for the death penalty from a jury has yet been refused by the judge at sentencing.
As of May 14, 2010, 52 male federal death row prisoners were housed at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute. As of 2010, the two women on federal death row, Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson is the first woman sentenced to death by a United States Federal jury since the 1950s. Forty-nine women have been executed under state laws since 1900....
and Lisa M. Montgomery
Lisa M. Montgomery
Lisa Marie Montgomery, is a woman from Melvern, Kansas who confessed to the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, an expectant mother, in an attempt to kidnap her unborn baby....
, are held at Federal Medical Center, Carswell
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
The Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility that provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . Its address is...
. Two people have been re-sentenced since 1976 to life in prison and one was commuted to life in prison by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 2001.
Capital offenses
These are the offenses punishable by death or another punishment in the United States Code:- Causing death by using a chemical weaponChemical warfareChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
- Killing a member of the CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the CabinetUnited States CabinetThe Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
or United States Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases... - Kidnapping a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
- Conspiracy to kill a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
- Causing death by using an explosiveExplosive materialAn explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
- Causing death by using an illegal firearm
- GenocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
- First degree murder
- Murder perpetrated by poison or lying in wait
- Murder that is willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated
- Murder in the perpetration of or in the attempt to perpetrate any arson, escape, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotageSabotageSabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery - Murder perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children
- Murder committed by a federal prisoner or an escaped federal prisoner sentenced to 15 years to life or a more severe penalty
- Assassinating the PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
or a member of his staff - Kidnapping the President or a member of his staff resulting in death
- Killing persons aiding Federal investigations or State correctional officers
- Sexual abuseSexual abuseSexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
resulting in death - Sexual exploitation of children resulting in death
- TortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
resulting in death - War crimeWar crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s resulting in death - Crimes Against Humanity
- Large-scale drug trafficking
- Attempting, authorizing or advising the killing of any officer, juror, or witness in cases involving a Continuing Criminal EnterpriseContinuing Criminal EnterpriseThe Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute is a United States federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and elaborate drug conspiracies...
, even if such killing does not occur. - EspionageEspionageEspionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
- TreasonTreasonIn law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
Method
Federal law requires that the method of execution be by lethal injectionLethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
.
The federal prison system never operated its own gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
or electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
for pre-Furman executions. Pre-Furman executions carried out within the federal prison system were by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. All federally-mandated executions by lethal gas or electrocution were carried out in state prisons.
People who are under 18 at the time of commission of the capital crime or mentally retarded are legally precluded from being executed.
Recent civilian executions
Twenty-six federal (including military) executions have been carried since 1950. Three of those (none of them military) have occurred in the modern post-GreggGregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
era. This list only includes those executed under federal jurisdiction. Since 1963, three people have been executed by the federal government of the United States. All were executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
.
| Executed person | Date | Crime | State where crime occurred | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timothy McVeigh Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995... |
June 11, 2001 | murder of eight federal employees through the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States Federal Government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people, including 19 children... . (See Oklahoma City bombing Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19... .) |
Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... |
G. W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
| 2 | Juan Raul Garza Juan Garza Juan Raul Garza was an American murderer and drug trafficker who was executed for a federal crime.-History:... |
June 19, 2001 | murder of Thomas Albert Rumbo, ordering the murders of Gilberto Matos, Erasmo De La Fuente, Antonio Nieto, Bernabe Sosa, Diana Flores Villareal, Oscar Cantu, and Fernando Escobar Garcia in conjunction with a drug-smuggling ring | Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
G. W. Bush |
| 3 | Louis Jones, Jr. | March 18, 2003 | rape and murder of Pvt. Tracie McBride, USA United States Army The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services... |
Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
G. W. Bush |
Earlier civilian executions
From 1790 to 1950, there were 327 Federal, 271 Territorial and 40 Indian Tribunal executions according to the most complete records. One of those was the execution of James ArceneJames Arcene
James Arcene was the youngest child sentenced to death, who was subsequently executed for his crime, in the United States. Arcene, a Cherokee man, was hanged by the U.S...
on June 18, 1885, when he was 23 years old, for his role in a robbery and murder committed when he was 10 years old.
Between 1950 and 1963, 13 people were executed (not counting those executed under military law):
| Executed person | Method of execution | Offense | Date of Execution | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Alderman James Alderman James Horace Alderman was an alcohol smuggler during the prohibition era in the United States, and was known as the King of the Rum Runners. He was executed by the Federal government for the killing on the high seas of Sidney Sanderlin and Victor A. Lamby, U.S. Coast Guardsmen; and Robert K... |
hanging | murder | August 17, 1929 | Broward County Broward County, Florida -2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile... Jail, Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010... , Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
Killed 2 US coastguardsmen and a Secret Service agent |
| Carl Panzram Carl Panzram Carl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males... |
hanging | murder | September 5, 1930 | United States Penitentiary United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas... (USP), Leavenworth Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was... , Kansas Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... |
Killed a Federal Penitentiary employee. Linked to 4 other murders-claimed to have killed 22 persons |
| George Barrett George W. Barrett George W. Barrett , also called Diamond King, was the first person sentenced to death by hanging under a congressional act that made it a capital offense to kill a federal agent. On December 7, 1935 he was convicted of first degree murder in the death of special agent Nelson B. Klein by a Federal... |
hanging | murder | March 24, 1936 | Marion County Marion County, Indiana Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 903,393, making it the largest county in the state and 55th most populated county in the country, greater than the population of six states. The county seat is Indianapolis, the state capital and... Jail, Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
The first person to receive the death penalty by hanging under a congressional act that made it a capital offense to kill a federal agent. |
| Arthur Gooch Arthur Gooch (criminal) Arthur Gooch was an American criminal, who is notable for being the only person ever be executed under the federal Lindbergh kidnapping law.... |
hanging | kidnapping Kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority... |
June 19, 1936 | Oklahoma State Penitentiary Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates... , McAlester McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant.... , Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... |
|
| Earl Gardner | hanging | murder | July 12, 1936 | Gila County Gila County, Arizona -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.8% White*0.4% Black*14.8% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*5.4% Other races*17.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... Jail, Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... |
|
| Anthony Chebatoris Tony Chebatoris Anthony Chebatoris , was the only person executed for a capital crime in Michigan since it became a state in 1837. He was tried and executed by the federal authorities... |
hanging | National Bank Robbery Bank robbery Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of... |
July 8, 1938 | Federal Correctional Institution Federal Correctional Institution, Milan The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan is a U.S. federal prison in York Charter Township, Michigan, near Milan.This prison is a low-security facility for male inmates. Its adjacent Federal Detention Center houses pretrial and holdover inmates... (FCI), Milan Milan, Michigan Milan is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About 60% of the city's area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the... , Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
|
| Henry Seadlund Henry Seadlund Henry Seadlund was a 27-year old woodsman, executed by the United States Federal Government in Illinois for kidnapping.Seadlund killed Ross and his accomplice Gary to pocket ransom money, he was charged for kidnapping Ross.... |
electrocution | kidnapping Kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority... |
July 14, 1938 | Cook County Cook County, Illinois Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than... Jail, Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
|
| Robert Suhay | hanging | murder | August 12, 1938 | United States Penitentiary United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas... (USP), Leavenworth Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was... , Kansas Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... |
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| Glenn Applegate | hanging | murder | August 12, 1938 | United States Penitentiary United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas... (USP), Leavenworth Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was... , Kansas Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... |
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| James Dalhover | electrocution | bank robbery Bank robbery Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of... and murder |
November 18, 1938 | Indiana State Prison Indiana State Prison The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Corrections prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average daily inmate population in November 2006 was 2,200. ... , Michigan City Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder.... , Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
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Nelson Charles |
hanging | murder | November 10, 1939 | Federal Jail, Juneau Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900... , Alaska |
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| Herbert Hans Haupt Herbert Hans Haupt Herbert Hans Haupt was a German-American United States citizen with dual nationality who was executed as an enemy agent for Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:... , Heinrich Heinck, Edward Kerling, Herman Neubauer, Richard Quirin Richard Quirin Richard Quirin was a German-American executed as an enemy agent for the Germans in World War II. He was one of eight agents involved in Operation Pastorius, and gave his name to the Supreme Court decision on the trial, Ex parte Quirin.-Early life:Born in Berlin, Germany in 1908, Quirin moved to... , Werner Thiel |
electrocution | sabotage | August 8, 1942 | D.C. Jail, Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
Tried by a military commission appointed by President Roosevelt on July 8, 1942. |
| Clyde Arwood Clyde Arwood Clyde Arwood was the only person ever executed by the United States Federal Government in Tennessee. He was convicted for killing a federal agent during a moonshine raid. Murdering of a federal employee is a federal capital crime.... |
electrocution | murder | August 14, 1943 | Tennessee State Prison Tennessee State Prison Tennessee State Prison is a former correctional facility located near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Opened in 1898, the prison has been closed since 1992. It has been the location for the films Nashville, Marie, Ernest Goes to Jail, Against the Wall, The Green Mile, The Last Castle and Pillar's... , Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... |
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| Henry Ruhl Henry Ruhl Henry Ruhl was the only person executed in Wyoming by the United States Federal Government. This was also the second-to-last pre-Furman execution in the state and third-to-last .... |
gas chamber | murder on a government reservation | April 27, 1945 | Wyoming State Penitentiary, Rawlins, Wyoming Wyoming Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High... |
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| Austin Nelson | hanging | murder | March 1, 1948 | Federal Jail, Juneau, Alaska | |
| David Joseph Watson David Joseph Watson David Joseph Watson was a 23-year old African American, executed by the United States Federal Government in Florida for a murder committed on the High Seas .... |
electrocution | murder on the high seas | September 15, 1948 | Florida State Prison Florida State Prison Florida State Prison , formerly known as the Union Correctional Institution—East Unit, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida. It is located on Florida State Road 16 right across the border from Union County. The institution opened in 1961, even though... , near Raiford, Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
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| Samuel Richard Shockley Sam Shockley Richard Sam Shockley Jr. was an inmate at Alcatraz prison who participated in the Battle of Alcatraz in 1946.... |
gas chamber | murder | December 3, 1948 | California State Penitentiary San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest... , San Quentin, California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
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| Miran Edgar Thompson Miran Edgar Thompson Miran Edgar Thompson was an inmate of Alcatraz whose participation in an attempted escape on May 2, 1946 led to his execution in the gas chamber of San Quentin. At the time of the Battle of Alcatraz, Thompson was serving life plus 99 years for kidnapping, and for the murder of Amarillo, Texas... |
gas chamber | murder | December 3, 1948 | California State Penitentiary San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest... , San Quentin, California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
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| Carlos Romero Ochoa | gas chamber | murder | December 10, 1948 | California State Penitentiary San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest... , San Quentin, California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
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| Eugene LaMoore | hanging | murder | April 14, 1950 | Federal Jail, Juneau, Alaska | |
| Fred Pritchertt | electrocution | murder | February 15, 1952 | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
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| William Tyler Jr. | electrocution | murder | July 25, 1952 | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
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| Albert Allen | electrocution | murder/robbery Robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear.... |
March 20, 1953 | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
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| Julius Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union... |
electrocution | espionage Espionage Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it... |
June 19, 1953 | New York State Prison, Sing Sing Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York... , Ossining, New York |
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| Ethel Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union... |
electrocution | espionage Espionage Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it... |
June 19, 1953 | New York State Prison, Sing Sing, Ossining, New York | female |
| Carl Austin Hall Bobby Greenlease Robert C. "Bobby" Greenlease was the son of multi-millionaire automobile dealer Robert Cosgrove Greenlease, Sr., of Kansas City, Missouri. He was the victim of a kidnapping in September 1953 that led to the largest ransom payout in U.S. history at the time; however, Bobby Greenlease's abductors... |
gas chamber | kidnapping Kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority... and murder |
December 18, 1953 | Missouri State Penitentiary Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest... , Jefferson City, Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... |
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| Bonnie Brown Heady | gas chamber | murder | December 18, 1953 | Missouri State Penitentiary Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest... , Jefferson City, Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... |
female |
| Gerhard Puff Gerhard Puff Gerhard Arthur Puff was an American gangster, executed by the federal authorities in New York for killing a federal agent.... |
electrocution | murder | August 12, 1954 | New York State Prison, Sing Sing, Ossining, New York | |
| Arthur Ross Brown | gas chamber | kidnapping Kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority... |
February 24, 1956 | Missouri State Penitentiary Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary, also known as "The Walls", was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri that operated from 1836-2004. It was a prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Before its closure it was named the Jefferson City Correctional Center . Before its closure it was the oldest... , Jefferson City, Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... |
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| Robert Carter | electrocution | murder | April 26, 1957 | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
Convicted of Robbery and murder of an off-duty Washington D.C. police officer who attempted to apprehend Carter right after the robbery. |
| George Krull George and Michael Krull George Krull and Michael Krull were brothers from Pennsylvania, executed by the United States Federal Government on August 21, 1957. They were the only persons ever executed in Georgia on a federal death warrant.... |
electrocution | kidnapping | August 21, 1957 | Georgia State Prison Georgia State Prison Georgia State Prison is the main maximum security facility in the state of Georgia. Located on Georgia Highway 147 in unincorporated Tattnall County, outside of Reidsville, "GSP" houses approximately 1550 inmates... , Reidsville, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... |
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| Michael Krull George and Michael Krull George Krull and Michael Krull were brothers from Pennsylvania, executed by the United States Federal Government on August 21, 1957. They were the only persons ever executed in Georgia on a federal death warrant.... |
electrocution | rape Rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The... |
August 21, 1957 | Georgia State Prison Georgia State Prison Georgia State Prison is the main maximum security facility in the state of Georgia. Located on Georgia Highway 147 in unincorporated Tattnall County, outside of Reidsville, "GSP" houses approximately 1550 inmates... , Reidsville, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... |
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| Victor Feguer Victor Feguer Victor Harry Feguer was a convicted murderer and the last federal inmate executed in the United States before the moratorium on the death penalty following Furman v. Georgia, and the last person put to death in the state of Iowa... |
hanging | kidnapping Kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority... |
March 15, 1963 | Iowa State Penitentiary Iowa State Penitentiary The Iowa State Penitentiary is an Iowa Department of Corrections maximum security prison for men located in the Lee County, Iowa community of Fort Madison.... , Fort Madison, Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... |
Presidential assassins
| Executed person | Date of execution | Method | President Assassinated | Under President |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Atzerodt George Atzerodt George Andreas Atzerodt was a conspirator, with John Wilkes Booth, in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Assigned to assassinate Vice-President Andrew Johnson, he lost his nerve and did not make an attempt. He was executed along with three other conspirators by hanging.-Early life:Atzerodt... |
July 7, 1865 | hanging | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... |
| David Herold David Herold David Edgar Herold was an accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. After guiding fellow conspirator Lewis Powell to the home of Secretary of State William H. Seward, whom Powell intended to kill, Herold fled and rendezvoused outside of Washington, D.C., with Booth... |
July 7, 1865 | hanging | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... |
| Lewis Powell Lewis Powell (assassin) Lewis Thornton Powell , also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate United States Secretary of State William H... |
July 7, 1865 | hanging | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... |
| Mary Surratt Mary Surratt Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H... |
July 7, 1865 | hanging | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... |
| Charles J. Guiteau Charles J. Guiteau Charles Julius Guiteau was an American lawyer who assassinated U.S. President James A. Garfield. He was executed by hanging.- Background :... |
June 30, 1882 | hanging | James Garfield James Garfield James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive... |
Chester A. Arthur Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing... |
The assassinations of Lincoln and Garfield were prosecuted by the federal government because they took place in the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The assassin of William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz was the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley.In the last few years of his life, he claimed to have been heavily influenced by anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman.- Early life :...
was tried and executed for murder by New York state authorities. The accused assassin of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
, would presumably have been tried for murder by Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
state authorities had he not been killed by Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
. Only after Kennedy's death was it made a federal crime to murder the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Military executions
The United States military has executed 135 people since 1916. The last execution was in 1961.- U.S. Army Private John A. Bennett on April 13, 1961 for rape and attempted murder.
Since 1865 (American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
) only one person has been executed for a purely military offense.
- Private Eddie SlovikEddie SlovikEdward Donald Slovik was a private in the United States Army during World War II and the only American soldier to be court-martialled and executed for desertion since the American Civil War....
, January 31, 1945, convicted of desertion
See also
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
Further reading
Texts of relevant laws- Using a chemical weapon where the use causes death
- Killing a member of the congress, the cabinet or Supreme Court, Kidnapping a member of the congress, the cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death and Conspiracy to kill a member of the congress, the cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
- Espionage
- Using an explosive device to knowingly kill a person
- Causing death using an illegal firearm
- Genocide where death results
- First Degree Murder
- Murder by a federal prisoner
- Killing persons aiding Federal investigations or State correctional officers
- Murdering the president or his staff and Kidnapping the president or his staff resulting in death
- Sexual abuse resulting in death
- Sexual exploitation of children resulting in death
- Torture resulting in death
- Treason
- War Crimes Resulting in death