List of people executed in Oklahoma (pre-1972)

The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Oklahoma before 1972, when capital punishment was briefly abolished by the Supreme Court's ruling in Furman v. Georgia . For people executed by Oklahoma after the restoration of capital punishment by the Supreme Court's ruling in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), see List of people executed in Oklahoma. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

In 1915, Oklahoma adopted electrocution as its main form of capital punishment, with a designated execution chamber being added to the state penitentiary in McAlester. ^[3] From that year to 1972, 83 prisoners (all male) were executed in the state penitentiary. 82 were electrocuted; one of the prisoners, sentenced to death by the federal government under the "Lindbergh law", was hanged instead at his request. ^[4] (Hanging was retained as an alternative method. ^[5] )

List of executions

Name	Race	Age	Date of execution	County	Crime	Victim(s)	Governor
Henry Bookman	Black	28	December 10, 1915	McIntosh	Murder	Richard Hardin, white [6]	Williams
Cecil Towery	Black	22	November 6, 1916	McIntosh	Murder-Robbery	Charles Vaughn, white [7]
Chester Taylor	Black	44	April 13, 1917	Creek	Murder	Millie Taylor, black (wife) [8]
Charley Young	Black	26		Tillman	Murder	Male, white [8]
Willie Williams	Black	35		Muskogee	Murder	Sam Neal, white (policeman) [8]
John Prather	Black	26	May 3, 1918	Pittsburg	Murder	Charles Chapman, black (cellmate) [9]
James Brown	Black	34	November 8, 1918	Muskogee	Murder	Glenn Jacobs, white [10]
T. R. Braught	White	29	May 23, 1919	Creek	Murder	Otis Robbin, white [11]	Walton
Monroe Betterton	White	48	July 9, 1920	Craig	Murder	Elzadah Betterton, white (wife) [12]
John Ledbetter	Native American	31	February 25, 1921	Muskogee	Murder	Robert Moreland, race unknown [13]
Robert Blakely	White	39				Effie May Allford, white [14]
Eli Thomas	Black	22	July 15, 1921	Le Flore	Murder	Selma Mayfield, white [15]
Steve Sabo	White	50	March 17,1922	Coal	Murder-Rape	Sophia Sabo, 19, white (niece) [16]
Sam Watkins	White	39	May 5, 1922	Atoka	Murder-Rape	Cora Jones, white [17]
Aaron Harvey	White	21	January 13, 1924	McCurtain	Murder	Five people, white [18] [a]	Trapp
Jack Pope	White	45
Richard Birkes	White	29	September 5, 1924	Craig	Murder-Robbery	Frank Pitts, white [19]
Leroy Scott	Black	22	May 29, 1925	Pittsburg	Murder	Frank Daniels, white [20]
Johnnie Washington	Black	29	December 4, 1925	Jackson	Murder	Male, white (peace officer) [21]
Theodore Bruster	Black	21	June 29, 1928	Muskogee	Murder-Robbery	William Heeman, white [22]	Johnston
Walter Wigger	White	31		Ottawa	Murder	Ruth Harris, white (girlfriend) [22]
Willie O'Neil	Black	27		Oklahoma	Murder-Robbery	Mark Hipscher, white [22]
James Forrest	Black	23	July 17, 1930	Stephens	Rape	Female, white [23]	Holloway
Tom Guest	White	48		Pottawatomie	Murder-Robbery	Bailey Browder, white [23]
E. S. Hembree	Native American	32	April 17, 1931	Stephens	Rape	Leota Bosley, 23, white [24]	Murray
Paul Cole	White	33	July 10, 1931	Seminole	Murder	Ernest Irby, white [25]
Bennie Nichols	Black	31	August 21, 1931	Pontotoc	Murder-Robbery	Jack Hornton, white [26]
Henry Lovett	White	39	September 25, 1931	Canadian	Murder-Robbery	Dee Foliart, 28, white [27]
Martin Keeney	White	49	March 11, 1932	Oklahoma	Murder	W. H. Folwell, 73, white
A. M. Harris	White	49	June 17, 1932	Oklahoma	Murder	Ed Martin, 62, white
Ira J. Adler [28]	White	50	August 19, 1932	Blaine	Murder	Tom and Nora McDonald, white (brother- and sister-in-law) [28]
Charles Davis	Black	42				Guy M. Jarvis, 38, white (undersheriff) [28]
Ivory Covington	Black	25	January 27, 1933	Choctaw	Murder-Robbery	Luther Williams, white
Nathan Rightsell	White	27	February 24, 1933	Choctaw	Murder	Jason Victor Buchanan, white (officer)
Charles Lattimer	White	29	March 24, 1933	Comanche	Murder	Female, white (wife) [29]
Proctor McDonald	White	24	May 5, 1933	Creek	Murder-Robbery	Raymond Butler, 8, white [30]
Joe Martin	White	54		Noble	Murder	Pete Von Uearop, white [30]
Albert Ellis	White	25		Carter	Robbery [b]	John Weber and his family, white [30]
Luke Nichols	White	44	May 19, 1933	Alfalfa	Murder	Harriet Crawford, 26, white (girlfriend) [31]
Claude Oliver	White	28	August 23, 1933	Murray	Murder	Della Oliver, 15, white (George's wife) [32]
George Oliver	White	18
Ted Patton	White	25	October 20, 1933	Sequoyah	Murder	Robert Wall, 19, white [33]
Charley Dumas	Black	29		Coal	Rape	Female, white [34]
William Johnson	Black	28	November 10, 1933	Muskogee	Murder	Mary Wolfenberger, white [35]
Tom Morris	Black	40	November 24, 1933	Pittsburg	Murder	Mr. and Mrs. Joe House, white [36]
Earl Quinn	White	29		Garfield	Murder-Rape	Jessie Griffith, 24, white [37]
Frank Clark	Black	60	January 19, 1934	McCurtain	Murder	Dan and Anna Stiles, white [38] [39]
Ernest Oglesby	White	27	January 4, 1935	Oklahoma	Murder	Douglas Gates, white (Oklahoma City policeman) [40]
Robert Cargo	White	21	May 24, 1935	Oklahoma	Murder-Robbery	A. L. Luke, white [41]	Marland
Alfred Rowan	Black	30	September 20, 1935	Jackson	Murder	Roy Gentry, white [42]
Bun Riley	White	29		Pittsburg	Murder	Three persons, white [42]
Chester Barrett	White	37		Creek	Murder	Three of his children, white [42]
Roy Guyton	Black	25	March 20, 1936	Oklahoma	Murder	E. L. Bailey, white [43]
James Hargus	White	26	April 24, 1936	Tulsa	Murder	L. D. Mitchell, white (Tulsa policeman) [44]
Arthur Gooch [c]	White	27	June 19, 1936	N/A (Federal)	Kidnapping [d]	R. N. Baker and H. R. Marks, white (policemen) [45]
Leon Siler	White	22	June 11, 1937	Comanche	Murder	J. E. Wilson, white (Grady County deputy sheriff) [46]
Charlie Sands	Native American	21
Roy Mannon	White	38	March 1, 1940	Wagoner	Murder-Robbery	Jake Skelly, 67, white [47]	Phillips
Roger Cunningham	White	30	November 15, 1940	Oklahoma	Murder	Eudora Cunningham, white (wife) [48]
Warren Abby	White	59	August 29, 1941	Custer	Murder	Julia Abby, 78, white (wife) [49]
J. D. Tuggle	White	23	February 9, 1942	Garvin	Murder-Robbery	Mr. and Mrs. D. Wilburn Jones, white (uncle and aunt) [50]
Finley Porter	Black	40	April 16, 1943	Pittsburg	Murder	L. Z. Beacham, black (cellmate) [51] [e]	Kerr
Hiram Prather	White	35	July 14, 1943	Pittsburg	Murder	Jess Dunn, white (warden) [52] [f]
Amos Johnson	Black	30	March 23, 1945	Lincoln	Murder	Victoria and Martha Gorski, 38 and 3, white
Clifford Norman	Black	30	November 9, 1945	Murray	Rape	Female, white [53]
Alfred Bingham	White	40	May 31, 1946	Tulsa	Murder	Mary Bingham, 30, white (wife) [54]
Mose Johnson	Black	33	November 1, 1946	Pittsburg	Murder	L. C. Smalley, race unknown [55]
Harlan Broyles	White	32	January 30, 1947	Seminole	Murder	Eric Nicholson, 35, white (deputy sheriff) [56]	Turner
Lewis Grayson	Black	31	May 25, 1948	Muskogee	Rape	Female, white
Ben Gould	Black	40	September 27, 1948	Atoka	Murder-Rape-Robbery	Mary Lynn, 57, white [57]
Max Kletke	White	25	January 6, 1951	Oklahoma	Murder	Carl E. Beach, 45, white
Jearell Hathcox	White	38	July 27, 1951	Oklahoma	Murder	Martin Lyle Shaffer, 67, white [58]	Murray
Melburn Mott	White	35	September 21, 1951	Tulsa	Murder	Mary Frances Mott, 6, white (daughter) [59]
Carl DeWolf	White	37	November 17, 1953	Tulsa	Murder	Jerry St. Clair, 25, white (Tulsa policeman) [60]
Hurbie Fairris	White	22	January 18, 1956	Oklahoma	Murder	Bennie F. Cravatt, white (detective) [61]	Gary
Otto Loel	White	44	January 11, 1957	Oklahoma	Murder	Elizabeth Jeanne Henderson, 31, white [62]
Robert Hendricks	White	66	February 5, 1957	Craig	Murder-Robbery	Rheam Payton, 54, white [63]
Edward Williams	White	30	July 28, 1960	Tulsa	Kidnapping [64] [g]	Tommy Cooke, 24, white [64]	Edmondson
James Spence	White	32	August 31, 1960	Cotton	Murder	Ruth Zimmerman, 19, white [65] [66]
Ray Young	White	34	December 15, 1960	Jackson	Murder	John Barter, white (highway patrolman) [67]
Shelby Doggett	White	29	January 1, 1962	Comanche	Murder-Robbery	Jimmy Lee Lanman, 24, white [68]
Richard Dare	White	30	June 1, 1963	Oklahoma	Murder	Ted Albert, 60, white [69] [h]	Bellmon
James French	White	30	August 10, 1966	Pittsburg	Murder	Eddie Shelton, white (cellmate) [70]

See also

• Capital punishment in Oklahoma
• Crime in Oklahoma

Notes

1. Jack Pope's wife, her two children, and her parents.
2. Also kidnapped the victims and raped one of them, 19-year-old Jo Anna Weber.
3. Sole non-electrocution, requested hanging.
4. One of the victims was badly injured.
5. Murder committed in 1941 during life sentence for the murder of his wife in 1925.
6. Committed two other murders prior to this one.
7. Also murdered victim, but received a life sentence for murder at a previous trial.
8. Also murdered his 24-year-old wife Patricia Ann, her 17-year-old nephew William McCormick, and Ted Albert's wife.

References

1. "Executions in Oklahoma - 1841-1966 - DeathPenaltyUSA, the database of executions in the United States". deathpenaltyusa.org. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
2. Wilson, R. Michael (January 10, 2014). Legal Executions in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma Including the Indian Territory: A Comprehensive Registry. McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-8909-1.
3. "Death Chair Ready In Sixty Days". The Perkins Journal . July 2, 1915. p. 3. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
4. "States adopt death-by-drug laws". The Day . December 6, 1979. p. 16. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
5. "Death Penalty Still Upheld". The Perkins Journal . March 12, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
6. "Negro First Person Electrocuted in Okla". The Bakersfield Californian . December 10, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
7. "Attempted Lynching Fails". St. Joseph News-Press . August 9, 1916. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
8. "State News Notes". The Dacoma Enterprise . May 4, 1917. p. 3. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
9. Appeals, Oklahoma Criminal Court of (1918). Oklahoma Criminal Reports: Cases Determined in the Criminal Court of Appeals of the State of Oklahoma. Leader Print. Company.
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13. The Pacific Reporter. West Publishing Company. 1921.
14. The Pacific Reporter. West Publishing Company. 1921.
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31. "Sorry At End". The Southeast Missourian . May 19, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
32. "Boy, 18, Pays". The Southeast Missourian . August 25, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
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35. "To Prison for Safekeeping After Confessing Murder". St. Joseph Gazette . April 18, 1933. p. 9. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
36. "To Die At Midnight". Lawrence Journal-World . November 23, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
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39. "Negro Electrocuted". The Evening Independent . October 19, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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41. "Slayer Electrocuted". The Evening Independent . May 24, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
42. "Three Die In Chair For Seven Murders". The Pittsburgh Press . September 20, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
43. "Execution Date Almost Skipped". The El Reno Daily Tribune . March 18, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
44. "Slayer Is Executed". Spokane Daily Chronicle . April 24, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
45. "Hang Kidnapper Under New Law". The Daily Times . June 18, 1936. p. 18. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
46. "Grin At Death". The Southeast Missourian . June 11, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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49. "Louisiana Farmer Executed In Chair". The Victoria Advocate . August 29, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
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51. "Negro Is Electrocuted". Lawrence Journal-World . April 16, 1943. p. 3. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
52. "Oklahoma Takes Life Of Warden's Slayer". The Southeast Missourian . July 15, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
53. "Oklahoma's First Execution in Two Years Set Tonight". The Altus Times-Democrat . November 8, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
54. "Wife Slayer Blames Drink". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . May 30, 1946. p. 17. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
55. "Oklahoma Slayer Pays Penalty". The Windsor Daily Star . November 2, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
56. "Man Dies in Electric Chair for Okla. Murder". Lewiston Evening Journal . January 30, 1947. p. 7. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
57. "Execution Is Set Tonight At State Prison". The Altus Times-Democrat . September 27, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
58. "Victim's Brother Sees Slayer Die in Chair". The Telegraph-Herald . July 27, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
59. "Child Killer". Lawrence Journal-World . August 18, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
60. "Gunman, 37, Dies In Electric Chair". The Spokesman-Review . November 18, 1953. p. 8. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
61. "Killer In Desperado Family Executed; Eyes And Aorta Go To Banks On His Bid". Toledo Blade . January 18, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
62. "Woman's Slayer Dies In Electric Chair". Reading Eagle . January 11, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
63. "Slayer Says Last Letters 'Doom' Others". The Altus Times-Democrat . February 5, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
64. "In The News". The Telegraph . July 29, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
65. "Killer Goes Calmly To His Execution". Youngstown Vindicator . September 1, 1960. p. 9. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
66. "Spence Waits Quietly for Death Tonight". The Duncan Banner . August 31, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
67. "Young Stays Calm in His Death March". The Altus Times-Democrat . December 16, 1960. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
68. "Dies for Slaying Young Golf Pro". The Fort Scott Tribune . October 4, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
69. "Man Executed In Oklahoma". St. Petersburg Times . June 3, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
70. "Two-Time Killer James French To Get His Wish - Death In The Chair". The Washington Observer . August 4, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved November 23, 2024.