State Electrician
Encyclopedia
"State Electrician" was the euphemistic
title given to some American
state executioners in states using the electric chair
during the early twentieth century.
The first State Electrician was Edwin Davis in the state of New York
. He carried out the execution of William Kemmler
, the first man executed with the electric chair. Davis also conducted the electrocution of a woman on the electric chair - that of Martha M. Place
.
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
title given to some American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state executioners in states using the 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...
during the early twentieth century.
The first State Electrician was Edwin Davis in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He carried out the execution of William Kemmler
William Kemmler
William Francis Kemmler of Buffalo, New York, was a convicted murderer and the first person in the world to be executed using an electric chair.-Early life:...
, the first man executed with the electric chair. Davis also conducted the electrocution of a woman on the electric chair - that of Martha M. Place
Martha M. Place
Martha M. Place was the first woman to die in the electric chair. She was executed on March 20, 1899 at age 44, in Sing Sing prison for the murder of her stepdaughter Ida Place.-Background:...
.
List of N. Y. State Electricians
- Edwin Davis
- John HulbertJohn Hulbert (executioner)John Hulbert was the executioner for the states of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts from 1913 to 1926. Hulbert was trained as "state electrician" by his predecessor, Edwin F...
- Robert G. ElliottRobert G. ElliottRobert Greene Elliott was the "state electrician" for the State of New York – and for those neighboring states which used the electric chair, including New Jersey, Vermont, and Massachusetts – during the period 1926-1939.He was born in Hamlin, New York, to an Irish immigrant...
- Joseph Francel
- Dow HoverDow HoverDow B. Hover was the last person to serve as a State Electrician of the New York State, who operated electric chair and the last person to serve as an executioner in the now no-death penalty state...