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List of people executed by the United States federal government

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The following is a list of people executed by the United States federal government.

Post-Gregg executions

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Sixteen executions (none of them military) have occurred in the modern post-Gregg era.[1] Since 1976, sixteen people have been executed under federal jurisdiction by the United States federal government. All were executed by lethal injection at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.[2]

No. Name Race Age Sex Date of execution Federal District Method Victim(s) President
1 Timothy James McVeigh White 33 M June 11, 2001 Western District of Oklahoma Lethal injection 8 federal law enforcement officers[a] George W. Bush
2 Juan Raul Garza Hispanic 44 M June 19, 2001 Southern District of Texas Thomas Albert Rumbo, Gilberto Matos, and Erasmo De La Fuente[b]
3 Louis Jones Jr. Black 53 M March 18, 2003 Northern District of Texas U.S. Army Private Tracie Joy McBride
4 Daniel Lewis Lee White 47 M July 14, 2020 Eastern District of Arkansas William Frederick Mueller, Nancy Ann Mueller, and Sarah Elizabeth Powell Donald Trump
5 Wesley Ira Purkey White 68 M July 16, 2020 Western District of Missouri Jennifer Long[c]
6 Dustin Lee Honken White 52 M July 17, 2020 Northern District of Iowa 5 murder victims[d]
7 Lezmond Charles Mitchell Native American 38 M August 26, 2020 District of Arizona Alyce Slim and Tiffany Lee
8 Keith Dwayne Nelson White 45 M August 28, 2020 Western District of Missouri Pamela Butler
9 William Emmett LeCroy Jr. White 50 M September 22, 2020 Northern District of Georgia Joann Lee Tiesler
10 Christopher Andre Vialva Black 40 M September 24, 2020 Western District of Texas Todd Bagley and Stacie Bagley
11 Orlando Cordia Hall Black 49 M November 19, 2020 Northern District of Texas Lisa Rene
12 Brandon Anthony Micah Bernard Black 40 M December 10, 2020 Western District of Texas Todd Bagley and Stacie Bagley
13 Alfred Bourgeois Black 56 M December 11, 2020 Southern District of Texas Jakaren Harrison
14 Lisa Marie Montgomery White 52 F January 13, 2021 Western District of Missouri Bobbie Jo Stinnett
15 Corey Johnson Black 52 M January 14, 2021 Eastern District of Virginia 7 murder victims[e]
16 Dustin John Higgs Black 48 M January 16, 2021 District of Maryland Tamika Black, Tanji Jackson, and Mishann Chinn

Demographics

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Race
Black 7 44%
White 7 44%
Hispanic 1 6%
Native American 1 6%
Age
30–39 2 13%
40–49 7 44%
50–59 6 38%
60–69 1 6%
Sex
Male 15 94%
Female 1 6%
Date of execution
1976–1979 0 0%
1980–1989 0 0%
1990–1999 0 0%
2000–2009 3 19%
2010–2019 0 0%
2020–2029 13 81%
Method
Lethal injection 16 100%
President (Party)
Gerald Ford (R) 0 0%
Jimmy Carter (D) 0 0%
Ronald Reagan (R) 0 0%
George H. W. Bush (R) 0 0%
Bill Clinton (D) 0 0%
George W. Bush (R) 3 19%
Barack Obama (D) 0 0%
Donald Trump (R) 13 81%
Joe Biden (D) 0 0%
Total 16 100%

Earlier non-military executions, 1900 to 1963

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From 1790 to 1963, there were 332 Federal, 271 Territorial and 40 Indian Tribunal executions according to the most complete records.[3] The youngest person executed was James Arcene on June 18, 1885, at the age of 23 for his role in a robbery and murder committed when he was 10 years old.

Name Method Offense Date of execution Location Note President
Allen Walkingshield Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation October 24, 1902 Minnehaha County Jail, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Killed a woman on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.[4] Theodore Roosevelt
George Bear Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation December 5, 1902 Minnehaha County Jail, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Killed two men on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.[5]
Charles Barrett Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation July 17, 1903 Federal Jail, McAlester, Oklahoma Convicted of robbing and killing an elderly man on Indian territory near Calvin, Oklahoma.[6]
Dora Wright Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation July 17, 1903 Federal Jail, McAlester, Oklahoma Convicted of beating, torturing and mutilating her young stepdaughter, Bessie Williams at their home in Moshulatubbee District located near Wilburton, Oklahoma.[6]
Rufus Binyon Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation September 22, 1905 Federal Jail, Ardmore, Oklahoma Convicted of raping and murdering an eight year old orphan girl in his care at his home in May, 1900 on Indian territory.[7]
Grant Williams Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation November 3, 1905 Federal Jail, McAlester, Oklahoma Convicted of murdering railroad paymaster in dispute over paycheck on October 19, 1904 near Ardmore, Oklahoma.[8]
Harry Scott Hanging Murder on the high seas July 6, 1906 New Hanover County Jail, Wilmington, North Carolina Killed five crew members during a mutiny aboard the vessel the Harry Berwind.[9]
Robert Cotton Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation September 4, 1906 Federal Jail, Vinita, Oklahoma Convicted of fatally stabbing his wife at their home in Vian, Oklahoma on August 6, 1905.[10]
John Goodwin Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation May 13, 1913 Gila County Jail, Gila County, Arizona Killed two merchants on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.[11] Woodrow Wilson
William Stewart Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation May 30, 1914
Henry Brown Hanging Murder on federal property September 1, 1921 Baltimore City Jail, Baltimore, Maryland Killed a nurse at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.[12] Warren Harding
Sam Greenhill Hanging Murder on federal property October 9, 1925 Lauderdale County Jail, Florence, Alabama Killed a War Department police officer who had apprehended him poaching near the Nitrate Plant No. 1 at the federal reservation in Muscle Shoals.[13][14] Calvin Coolidge
George Sujyanmie Hanging Murder on military reservation October 10, 1925 Fort Whipple, Prescott, Arizona Killed a man on the grounds of Fort Whipple, Arizona.[15]
James Alderman Hanging Murder on the high seas August 17, 1929 Coast Guard Base Six, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Killed two U.S. coastguardsmen and a Secret Service agent.[16] Herbert Hoover
Carl Panzram Hanging Murder September 5, 1930 United States Penitentiary (USP), Leavenworth, Kansas Killed a federal prison employee. Linked to 4 other murders; claimed to have killed 22 people.
George Barrett Hanging Murder of a federal officer March 24, 1936 Marion County Jail, Indiana The first person to be executed under a law that made it a capital offense to kill a federal agent. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Arthur Gooch Hanging Kidnapping June 19, 1936 Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester, Oklahoma The only person executed under the Federal Kidnapping Act in which the victim did not die.
Earl Gardner Hanging Murder on an Indian reservation July 12, 1936 Coolidge Dam, Gila County, Arizona Killed his wife and son on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.[17] After his execution was botched. Congress passed a law stating that all federal executions would now be carried out using whatever method was used in the state. Previously, all federal executions had to be carried out by hanging on federal territory.[18]
Anthony Chebatoris Hanging Murder during a bank robbery July 8, 1938 Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Milan, Michigan The only person ever to be executed in the State of Michigan since its admission to the Union.
Henry Seadlund Electrocution Kidnapping and murder July 14, 1938 Cook County Jail, Illinois Killed a man during a kidnapping for ransom.[19]
Robert Suhay Hanging Murder of a federal officer August 12, 1938 United States Penitentiary (USP), Leavenworth, Kansas Killed an FBI agent during an attempted arrest.[20][21]
Glenn Applegate Hanging Murder of a federal officer
James Dalhover Electrocution Bank robbery and murder November 18, 1938 Indiana State Prison, Michigan City, Indiana Killed an Indiana State Police trooper during a bank robbery in Logansport, Indiana on May 25, 1937.[22][23]
Nelson Charles Hanging Murder November 10, 1939 Federal Jail, Juneau, Alaska Killed his mother-in-law in the Alaska federal territory.[24]
Herbert Hans Haupt Electrocution Espionage and attempted sabotage as unlawful combatants for Nazi Germany August 8, 1942 D.C. Jail, Washington, D.C. Tried on July 8, 1942, by a military tribunal for their role in Operation Pastorius during World War II.
Richard Quirin
Heinrich Heinck
Edward Kerling
Herman Neubauer
Werner Thiel
Clyde Arwood Electrocution Murder of a federal officer August 14, 1943 Tennessee State Prison, Nashville, Tennessee Killed a federal agent during a moonshine raid.
Henry Ruhl Gas inhalation Murder on a government reservation April 27, 1945 Wyoming State Penitentiary, Rawlins, Wyoming Killed a war production worker on federal property near Laramie.[25] Harry S. Truman
Austin Nelson Hanging Murder March 1, 1948 Federal Jail, Juneau, Alaska Killed a Juneau grocery store owner in 1946.[26]
David Joseph Watson Electrocution Murder on the high seas September 15, 1948 Florida State Prison, near Raiford, Florida Killed a fellow sailor on board the USS Stribling in 1946.[27]
Samuel Richard Shockley Gas inhalation Murder December 3, 1948 California State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California Convicted for their roles in the Battle of Alcatraz.
Miran Edgar Thompson Gas inhalation Murder
Carlos Romero Ochoa Gas inhalation Murder of a federal officer December 10, 1948 California State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California Killed an immigration patrol officer near Indio, California in 1947.[28]
Eugene LaMoore Hanging Murder April 14, 1950 Federal Jail, Juneau, Alaska Killed a Juneau grocery store owner in 1946.[29]
Julius Rosenberg Electrocution Espionage June 19, 1953 New York State Prison, Sing Sing, Ossining, New York Convicted for spying on behalf of the Soviet Union and leaking American military secrets, including nuclear weapons designs. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ethel Rosenberg
Carl Austin Hall Gas inhalation Kidnapping and murder December 18, 1953 Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri Convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Bobby Greenlease.
Bonnie Emily Heady Kidnapping and murder
Gerhard Puff Electrocution Murder of a federal officer August 12, 1954 New York State Prison, Sing Sing, Ossining, New York Killed an FBI Special Agent.
Arthur Ross Brown Gas inhalation Kidnapping and murder February 24, 1956 Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri Kidnapped and murdered Wilma Allen in Kansas City, Missouri.[30]
George Krull Electrocution Kidnapping and rape August 21, 1957 Georgia State Prison, Reidsville, Georgia Kidnapped and raped a woman from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Michael Krull
Victor Feguer Hanging Kidnapping and murder March 15, 1963 Iowa State Penitentiary, Fort Madison, Iowa Kidnapped and murdered a physician from Dubuque, Iowa. John F. Kennedy

Military executions

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Main article: Capital punishment by the United States military
Main article: List of people executed by the United States military

The United States military has executed 135 people since 1916. The most recent person to be executed by the military is U.S. Army Private John A. Bennett, executed on April 13, 1961, for rape and attempted murder. Since the end of the Civil War in 1865, only one person has been executed for a purely military offense: Private Eddie Slovik, who was executed on January 31, 1945, after being convicted of desertion.[31][32][33]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ McVeigh was also responsible for the killing of 160 additional people and injuring over 680 others through the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
  2. ^ The jury also found beyond a reasonable doubt that Garza was responsible for the murders of Antonio Nieto, Bernabe Sosa, Diana Flores Villareal, Oscar Cantu, and Fernando Escobar Garcia.
  3. ^ Purkey was also responsible for the murder of Mary Ruth Bales.
  4. ^ The 5 victims were: Greg Nicholson, Lori Ann Duncan, Kandace Duncan, Amber Duncan, and Terry DeGeus.
  5. ^ The 7 victims were: Louis Johnson, Bobby Long, Anthony Carter, Dorothy Armstrong, Curtis Thorne, Linwood Chiles, and Peyton Johnson.

References

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  1. ^ "BOP: Federal Executions". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Executions Under the Federal Death Penalty". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  3. ^ 340 Federal, 271 Territorial and 40 Indian Tribunal Executions 1790 to 1963 Archived 2003-04-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 20 October 2008.
  4. ^ "Died with Joke on His Lips". Dayton (Ohio) Herald. October 24, 1902. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  5. ^ "George Bear Meets Death with Stoicism". The Black Hills (South Dakota) Union. December 12, 1902. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "First Death Sentences Ever Passed in Central District". The McAlester Capital. June 11, 1903. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Murderer Hanged - Rufus Binyon, Child Murderer, Pays Penalty of Crime Committed in May 1900". Faxon (OK) Weekly Star. September 29, 1905. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Williams to Hang - Jury Verdict in Murder Case Will Likely Bring Grant Williams to the Scaffold". The McAlester Capital. January 21, 1904. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Sailor to Hang - Convicted of Mutiny on the High Seas". Topeka (Kansas) Daily Herald. July 6, 1906. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Murderer Hangs - Robert Cotton, Wife Murderer, Executed in Federal Jail at Vinita Tuesday". The Tuttle Times. September 7, 1906. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Hanged by the U.S. Government". The Muscatine (Iowa) Journal. May 16, 1913. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Slayer of Buffalo Nurse Pays Penalty". The Buffalo News. September 1, 1921. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Negro Slayer of Shoals Guard Hanged by Federal Government". Nashville Tennessean. October 10, 1925. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  14. ^ "Police Officer Harry S. White". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  15. ^ "Indian Slayer Jokes as He Goes to His Death". Sioux City (Iowa) Journal. October 11, 1925. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "Alderman Dies Upon Gallows, Prayer on Lips". Miami (Florida) Daily News. August 17, 1929. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  17. ^ O'Brien, Pat (July 13, 1936). "Armed Deputies on Guard at Coolidge Dam for Execution". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  18. ^ Lofquist, Bill (March 5, 2021). "Earl Gardner". The Federal Death Penalty Project. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  19. ^ "Seadlund Executed for Ross Killing". Richmond (Indiana) Item. July 14, 1938. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "U.S. Government Hangs Two New York Gunmen in Kansas for Murder of an Officer". Muncie Evening Press. August 12, 1938. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Wimberly W. Baker". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "Dalhover Dies for Slaying - 21 Witnesses See Gangster Walk to Chair". South Bend (Indiana) Tribune. November 18, 1938. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  23. ^ "Trooper Paul Vincent Minneman". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  24. ^ "Alaska to Hang Man, First Killer Since 1901". Camden (New Jersey) Courier-Post. November 8, 1939. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  25. ^ "Goes to Death in Gas Chamber". The Billings Gazette. April 28, 1945. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  26. ^ "Nelson Hangs This Morning". Daily Sitka Sentinel. March 1, 1948. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  27. ^ "Negro Slayer Was Executed at Raiford". Miami (Florida) Herald. September 16, 1948. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "Anthony L. Oneto". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. October 24, 1940. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  29. ^ "Lamoore Hanged". Daily Sitka (Alaska) Sentinel. April 14, 1950. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  30. ^ "Dies in the Gas Chamber - Arthur Ross Brown, Kidnap-Slayer of Mrs. Wilma Allen Is Pronounced Dead Eleven Minutes After Midnight". Kansas City Times. February 24, 1956. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  31. ^ Simmons, Zena (August 25, 1999). "The Execution of Pvt. Eddie Slovik". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  32. ^ The Execution of Private Slovik. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. 1993. ISBN 978-0-89941-845-2. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  33. ^ Glass, Charles (2013). Deserter : the last untold story of the Second World War. London: HarperPress. ISBN 978-0-00-734592-2. OCLC 818449638.
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