List of people executed in the United States in 1931

One hundred and fifty-five people, one hundred and fifty-four male and one female, were executed in the United States in 1931, one hundred and twenty-one by electrocution, thirty-three by hanging, and one by gas chamber. ^[1]

List of people executed in the United States in 1931

No.	Date of execution	Name	Age of person			Gender	Ethnicity	State	Method	Ref.
			At execution	At offense	Age difference
1	January 16, 1931	Edgar Jenkins	22	22	0	Male	Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[2]
2		Philip Hays	25	Unknown	Unknown			Mississippi	Hanging	[3]
3	January 23, 1931	Sidney M. Gattis	49	Unknown	Unknown			North Carolina	Electrocution	[4]
4	January 27, 1931	Clayton Bell	26	26	0			Florida		[5]
5		William Biggers	35	34	1			Georgia		[6]
6		Theodore James Harris	23	22				Tennessee		[7]
7	January 30, 1931	Andrew G. Halliday	22	21			White	Colorado	Hanging	[8]
8		Claude Ray	25	24
9		John Walker	42	41
10		Earl Sites	28	27				Ohio	Electrocution	[9]
11		Fred J. Massa	27	26
12		Kenneth Ray McCartney	25	25	0
13	February 3, 1931	Ollie Dorson	40	40			Black	Virginia		[10]
14	February 12, 1931	T. Southworth	26	24	2		White	Florida		[11]
15	February 13, 1931	Thomas Henry Bardon	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown		Black	North Carolina		[12]
16		Dave McRae	31	29	2
17	February 20, 1931	William Claude Adams	40	40	0		White	West Virginia	Hanging	[13]
18		Emory Stephens	24	24
19	February 23, 1931	Irene Vera Schroeder	22	20	2	Female		Pennsylvania	Electrocution	[14]
20		Walter Glenn Dague	35	34	1	Male
21	February 24, 1931	Nathan Burton	24	22	2			Florida		[15]
22	February 26, 1931	Anthony Luciano	36	35	1			New York		[16]
23		Anthony Vellucia	40	39
24	February 27, 1931	Cleveland Malone	25	25	0		Black	Alabama		[17]
25		John Cantrell Arkwright	26	26				South Carolina		[18]
26		George John Bird	21	21
27		Tillman Boozer	32	31	1
28		Robert Eldridge	26	26	0
29		James Hickman
30		Earnest Thomas	23	23
31	March 2, 1931	Thomas F. Martin	26	24	2		White	Pennsylvania		[19]
32	March 6, 1931	Cardoza Bell	24	22			Black	District of Columbia		[20]
33	March 13, 1931	Henry West	21	21	0			Georgia		[1]
34	March 27, 1931	Moses Daniels Jr.	20	19	1			Alabama
35		Lewis B. Newsome	21	Unknown	Unknown			Georgia
36	April 7, 1931	Arthur Hamilton	41	40	1		White	Ohio		[21]
37	April 10, 1931	Daniel Grosso	32	27	5			New Jersey		[22]
38	April 17, 1931	Willie Lee Cox	26	25	1		Black	Georgia		[1]
39		Gilbert Glaze	29	29	0
40		Edward Spoeding Hembree	32	31	1		Native American	Oklahoma		[23]
41	April 20, 1931	William Watkins	25	25	0		Black	Pennsylvania		[24]
42	April 24, 1931	Gideon Moncus Twitty	32	31	1		White	Texas		[25]
43	April 29, 1931	Marvin Berry	40	38	2		Black	Georgia		[1]
44	April 30, 1931	Charles King	39		1		White	Ohio		[26]
45	May 8, 1931	Cleveland Nelson	18	17	1		Black	Mississippi	Hanging	[27]
46	May 18, 1931	Fred Griffin		18	0			Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
47	May 21, 1931	John Williams	39	39				Ohio		[28]
48	May 22, 1931	James Burley Adams	34	30	4		White	Georgia		[29]
49		Willie Green	27	26	1		Black
50	May 25, 1931	James Romeo	30	29			White	Ohio		[30]
51		Sigismund Szachewicz	25	24				Pennsylvania		[31]
52		John T. Nafus	41	40
53	May 26, 1931	Norman Blakely	17	16			Black	South Carolina		[32]
54	May 27, 1931	Robert W. McQuagge	27	26			White	Florida		[33]
55	May 29, 1931	Spencer Bates	26	25			Black	Alabama		[34]
56	June 8, 1931	Alexander McClay Williams	16	16	0			Pennsylvania		[35]
57	June 12, 1931	Arthur Meyers	31	24	7			Georgia	Hanging	[36]
58		Lorenzo Price	32	30	2			Maryland		[37]
59		J.P. Moore	20	Unknown	Unknown			South Carolina	Electrocution	[1]
60	June 18, 1931	John Graham	Unknown	Unknown	0			Florida
61	June 19, 1931	Ofilio Herrera	36	34	2		Hispanic	Texas		[38]
62		Frank Myer	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown		White	West Virginia	Hanging	[1]
63	June 22, 1931	Cleo Peterson	23	22	1		Black	Pennsylvania	Electrocution	[39]
64		Clarence Williams	20	20	0
65	June 24, 1931	Henry Johnson	Unknown	Unknown				Florida		[40]
66		Ignacio Saragoza	26	26			Hispanic	Indiana		[1]
67	June 25, 1931	Fred Innes	38	37	1		Black	New York		[41]
68		Haywood Turner	29	28
69	June 26, 1931	Calvin Groome	18	Unknown	Unknown			Virginia		[1]
70	June 29, 1931	Peter Spirellis	38	38	0		White	Pennsylvania		[42]
71	July 2, 1931	Fred Carmosino	19	18	1			New York		[43]
72		Nicholas Leonelli	23	22
73		Ferdinand Mangiamele	25	24
74	July 10, 1931	William Stokes	Unknown	Unknown	0		Black	Alabama		[44]
75		Felix Duhart	36	30	6			Louisiana	Hanging	[45]
76		Ike Tellis	32	Unknown	Unknown					[46]
77		Paul Dewey Cole	33	32	1		White	Oklahoma	Electrocution	[47]
78		Albert Clarence Floyd	38	37				South Carolina		[48]
79	July 14, 1931	Joseph Rusnak	25	24				New Jersey		[49]
80	July 17, 1931	Fred Mott	36	35				California	Hanging	[50]
81		Charles H. Simpson	18	18	0
82		Eugene Luke Dudley	21	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
83		Emmett Shaw	40	40	0			Mississippi	Hanging	[51]
84		Sam Green Whittaker	18	18
85	July 20, 1931	Bonaventura Nardella	44	43	1	White	New Jersey	Electrocution	[52]
86	July 23, 1931	Herbert Johnson	19	18		Black	New York		[53]
87		Andrew P. Metelski	21	20		White
88	July 24, 1931	Edward H. LaVerne	25	24			California	Hanging	[54]
89		Wilbur McCabe	40	39
90		Joshua Riles	28	27		Black	Texas	Electrocution
91	July 27, 1931	Vincent Pablo Leonar	39	38		Asian	New Jersey		[55]
92	July 28, 1931	Will Jenkins	46	Unknown	Unknown	Black	Texas		[56]
93	July 31, 1931	James Lawson	26	Unknown	Unknown		Arkansas		[1]
94		Benjamin F. Brown	27	26	1	White	California	Hanging	[57]
95		Bennie White	29	Unknown	Unknown	Black	Louisiana		[1]
96	August 10, 1931	Wilson Autry	19	19	0		North Carolina	Electrocution
97	August 14, 1931	Joe Jefferson Shield	35	34	1	White	Texas		[58]
98	August 17, 1931	Joseph Parsi	31	28	3		Pennsylvania		[59]
99		Frank Powell	26	23
100		Frank Candeloro Cantela	37	34
101		Carmelo "Carl" Cro	34	31
102	August 21, 1931	Herman A. Young	28	27	1		Arizona	Hanging	[60]
103		William M. Harper	42	41			Louisiana		[61]
104		Ben Goldston	36	Unknown	Unknown	Black	North Carolina	Electrocution	[62]
105		Bennie Nichols	31	30	1		Oklahoma		[63]
106	August 27, 1931	Harry Lipschitz	27	26		White	New York		[64]
107	September 4, 1931	Luis Ceja	28	27		Hispanic	Nevada	Gas chamber	[65]
108		Maurice Seaton	22	Unknown	Unknown	Black	New York	Electrocution	[66]
109	September 11, 1931	Willie Higgins	28	Unknown	Unknown		Georgia		[1]
110	September 15, 1931	Paul Vere Hurley	20	18	2	White	Massachusetts		[67]
111	September 25, 1931	Henry Walter Lovett	39	38	1		Oklahoma		[68]
112	September 28, 1931	William C. Snipes	22	21			Pennsylvania		[69]
113	October 2, 1931	William Hudson	25	24			California	Hanging	[70]
114		Robert Earl O'Neill	21	20
115	October 9, 1931	John E. Preston	33	31	2		Illinois	Electrocution	[71]
116	October 16, 1931	Robert Lee Chisholm	20	20	0	Black	Georgia		[1]
117		Clark Stevens	24	24
118		Frank Jordan	30	30		White	Illinois		[72]
119		Charles Rocco	24	23	1
120		John Popescue	21	20
121		Richard Sullivan	35	34
122		Henry Hodge	19	19	0	Black	Louisiana	Hanging	[73]
123		Haywood Johnson	37	Unknown	Unknown
124		Jesse Simmons	20	20	0
125	October 20, 1931	Merle James Johnson	26	26		White	Illinois	Electrocution	[74]
126	October 21, 1931	Joseph Belenski	38	37	1		Massachusetts		[75]
127	October 30, 1931	Oconee C. Hendrix	34	32	2	Black	Georgia		[1]
128		William Searcy	31	31	0
129		James E. Kingsley	25	24	1	White	Oregon	Hanging	[76]
130		Victor Rodriguez	20	19		Hispanic	Texas	Electrocution	[77]
131		Nicandro Munoz	26	25
132	November 6, 1931	Joseph A. R. Altringer	23	22		White	Iowa	Hanging	[78]
133	November 12, 1931	Jim Collins	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Black	Florida	Electrocution	[1]
134	November 13, 1931	Pedro Canonisado Magsaysay	41	39	2	Asian	California	Hanging	[79]
135		Blanton Ralls	19	18	1	Black	Ohio	Electrocution	[80]
136		Walter Ralls	30	30	0
137	November 20, 1931	Tilby Lafayette Smith	27	25	2	White			[81]
138	November 30, 1931	Harry Starchok	29	28	1		Pennsylvania		[82]
139		Edward Red Wing	39	38		Native American	Texas		[83]
140	December 4, 1931	Clarence L. King	28	26	2	White	California	Hanging	[1]
141	December 10, 1931	Rudolph Duringer	26	25	1		New York	Electrocution	[84]
142	December 11, 1931	James Vernable Foster	49	49	0		Colorado	Hanging	[85]
143		Willie Green	31	30	1	Black	Illinois	Electrocution	[86]
144		James Jackson	32	Unknown	Unknown
145		Hazel Johnson	23	23	0
146		Henry Pannier	57	57		White
147		J.W. Ballard	17	17		Black	North Carolina		[87]
148		Bernice Matthews	18	18
149	December 18, 1931	Chevis Herring	24	23	1				[88]
150		Willie Loyd Fritts	39	36	3	White	Texas		[89]
151		Barney Lee Ross	22	Unknown	Unknown	Black
152		George Miller	43	41	2	White	Washington	Hanging	[90]
153	December 21, 1931	English Monroe Gaskins	44	43	1		Georgia	Electrocution	[91]
154	December 30, 1931	Charles F. Fithian	23	21	2		New Jersey		[92]
155		Peter Giordano	20	18

Demographics

Gender
Male	154	99%
Female	1	1%
Ethnicity
Black	74	48%
White	72	46%
Hispanic	5	3%
Asian	2	1%
Native American	2	1%
State
Georgia	18	12%
Pennsylvania	16	10%
New York	12	8%
Illinois	10	6%
Ohio	10	6%
Texas	10	6%
California	9	6%
South Carolina	9	6%
North Carolina	8	5%
Florida	7	5%
Louisiana	7	5%
New Jersey	6	4%
Alabama	4	3%
Colorado	4	3%
Mississippi	4	3%
Oklahoma	4	3%
West Virginia	3	2%
Massachusetts	2	1%
Virginia	2	1%
Arizona	1	1%
Arkansas	1	1%
District of Columbia	1	1%
Indiana	1	1%
Iowa	1	1%
Maryland	1	1%
Nevada	1	1%
Oregon	1	1%
Tennessee	1	1%
Washington	1	1%
Method
Electrocution	121	78%
Hanging	33	21%
Gas chamber	1	1%
Month
January	12	8%
February	18	12%
March	5	3%
April	9	6%
May	11	7%
June	15	10%
July	25	16%
August	11	7%
September	6	4%
October	19	12%
November	8	5%
December	16	10%
Age
Unknown	6	4%
10–19	14	9%
20–29	75	48%
30–39	42	27%
40–49	17	11%
50–59	1	1%
Total	155	100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1932	147
1931	155
1930	155
Total	457

References

1. "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved October 24, 2025.
2. "Negro Confesses Before Electrocution". The Evening Independent. January 17, 1931. p. 12.
3. "Negro Hanged for Attack". Lawrence Journal-World. January 16, 1931. p. 1.
4. "Negro Dies In Electric Chair". The Mount Airy News. February 5, 1931. p. 3.
5. "Clayton Bell Electrocuted". St. Petersburg Times. January 28, 1931. p. 7.
6. "Negro Electrocuted for Georgia Murder". The Evening Independent. January 28, 1931. p. 21.
7. "Makes Fun of Ol' 'Lectric Chair". The Afro-American. February 14, 1931. p. 19.
8. "Colorado Killers Die on Gallows". The Pittsburgh Press. January 31, 1931. p. 1.
9. "3 Die for Single Murder". The Spokesman-Review. January 31, 1931. p. 3.
10. "Quick Justice Given Negro Slayer". The Evening Independent. January 3, 1931. p. 19.
11. "Thinks It Is 'Swell' When His Execution Date is Set". The Evening Independent. January 24, 1931. p. 1.
12. "Two Negroes Executed". St. Petersburg Times. February 14, 1931. p. 2.
13. "Hang Two in Southern Pen". Greensburg Daily Tribune. February 21, 1931. p. 1.
14. "IRENE SCHROEDER DIES IN THE CHAIR; Precedes Dague to Death in Bellefonte (Pa.) Prison for Murder of Officer". The New York Times. February 24, 1931.
15. "Chair Breaks in Electrocution". Rochester Evening Journal. February 25, 1931. p. 15.
16. "Two Slayers Electrocuted". The Meriden Daily Journal. February 27, 1931. p. 2.
17. "Dies for Attacking Girl". Reading Eagle. February 27, 1931. p. 4.
18. "Execute Six Negro Slayers". The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. February 27, 1931. p. 2.
19. "Man Dies In Chair Denying His Guilt". Gettysburg Times. March 2, 1931. p. 2.
20. "D.C. Youth Denied His Guilt To The Last". The Afro-American. March 14, 1931. p. 2.
21. "Ohio Slayer Dies in Chair". Youngstown Vindicator. April 8, 1931. p. 15.
22. "GROSSO EXECUTED FOR JERSEY MURDER; Last-Minute Move by Larson, Staying Death for Two Hours, Fails to Save Slayer". The New York Times. April 11, 1931.
23. "Indian Is Executed For Attacking Girl". Eugene Register-Guard. April 17, 1931. p. 4.
24. "Set Record In Death Of Negro In Chair". Gettysburg Times. April 21, 1931. p. 5.
25. "Man Electrocuted For An Attack on 3-Year-Old Child". The Victoria Advocate. April 24, 1931. p. 1.
26. "Barber Dies In Chair". The Toledo News-Bee. May 1, 1931. p. 17.
27. "Negro is Hanged". Times Daily. May 9, 1931. p. 3.
28. "Murderer Must Die in Prison". The Portsmouth Sunday Times. May 19, 1931. p. 8.
29. "Execute Slayer of Dry Official". The Evening Independent. May 22, 1931. p. 17.
30. "Canton Slayer Calm at Death". The Portsmouth Sunday Times. May 26, 1931. p. 1.
31. "2 Men Electrocuted". The Meriden Daily Journal. May 25, 1931. p. 1.
32. "Convict Slayer Electrocuted". The Day. May 26, 1931. p. 1.
33. "Death Warrant Signed". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. April 7, 1931. p. 2.
34. "Sumter Negro Dies for Murder". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. May 29, 1931. p. 2.
35. "Man Dies in Chair For Matron Slaying". Rochester Evening Journal and the Post Express. June 8, 1931. p. 4.
36. "Dies On Gallows, Wearing 25 Medals". Kentucky New Era. June 13, 1931. p. 84.
37. "War Vet Hanged". The Afro-American. June 20, 1931. p. 6.
38. "Mexican Clears Pal in Slaying As Chair Awaits". The Victoria Advocate. June 21, 1931. p. 2.
39. "Clairton Men Are Executed". The Pittsburgh Press. June 22, 1931. p. 9.
40. "Negro Confesses Killing Couple". The Pittsburgh Press. March 23, 1931. p. 14.
41. "No Juice in Death Chair". The Afro-American. July 4, 1931. p. 5.
42. "Alien Electrocuted For Killing Waitress". Meriden Record. June 30, 1931. p. 5.
43. "3 DIE IN CHAIR AT SING SING.; New York City Youths Convicted of Murder of Butcher in Bronx". The New York Times. July 3, 1931.
44. "Negro is Executed at Kilby Prison Today". The Tuscaloosa News. July 10, 1931. p. 2.
45. "Felix Duhart, Negro, Hanged". The Times via newspapers.com. July 11, 1931. p. 6.
46. "Negro to Hang Friday". The Ouachita Citizen via newspapers.com. July 9, 1931. p. 6.
47. "Paul Cole Executed". St. Joseph News-Press. July 10, 1931. p. 1.
48. "Floyd Pays Death Penalty". The Newberry Observer. July 14, 1931. p. 1.
49. "POLICE SLAYER EXECUTED.; Rusnack Put to Death at Trenton for Bayonne Shooting". The New York Times. July 15, 1931.
50. ""Make My Hanging Snappy"". The Spokesman-Review. July 17, 1931. p. 9.
51. "2 Men Hanged for Murder". The Afro-American. August 1, 1931. p. 13.
52. "Carpenter Executed for Slaying of Wife". Rochester Evening Journal and the Post Express. July 21, 1931. p. 2.
53. "Two Men Electrocuted At Sing Sing Prison". Meriden Record. July 24, 1931. p. 7.
54. "Two Slayers in California Pay Supreme Penalty". The Southeast Missourian. July 25, 1931. p. 9.
55. "Filipino Electrocuted For Murder Of Norwalk Woman". Meriden Record. July 28, 1931. p. 5.
56. "First Man Executed Under New Texas Law". Reading Eagle. July 28, 1931. p. 32.
57. "Hired Slayer to Be Hanged". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 17, 1931. p. 2.
58. "Wife-Murderer Is Electrocuted". Eugene Register-Guard. August 15, 1931. p. 1.
59. "4 Killers Die in Chair for Rum Murder". The Pittsburgh Press. August 17, 1931. p. 1.
60. "Young Hanged This Morning". Prescott Evening Courier. August 21, 1931. p. 1.
61. "Dance Hall Slayer Hanged in Louisiana". Saratota Herald-Tribune. August 23, 1931. p. 1.
62. "Two Sentenced to Chair for Murder". The Afro-American. January 31, 1931. p. 38.
63. "Oklahoma Negro Dies in Chair for Murder". Warsaw Union. August 21, 1931. p. 1.
64. "Dies for Killing Fellow Prisoner". The New York Times. August 28, 1931.
65. "Put to Death By Gas". The Evening Independent. September 4, 1931. p. 4.
66. "Negro Orders Red Roses Before Death in Chair". The Newburgh News. September 4, 1931. p. 1.
67. "Paul Hurley Goes to His Death Calmly". The Lewiston Daily Sun. September 15, 1931. p. 1.
68. "Young Farmer Dies In Electric Chair". The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. September 25, 1931. p. 1.
69. "Young Killer Electrocuted at Rockview". The Washington Reporter. September 28, 1931. p. 11.
70. "State Executes 2 for Murder In L. A." Berkeley Daily Gazette. October 2, 1931. p. 9.
71. "Model Spouse Electrocuted". The Washington Reporter. October 9, 1931. p. 13.
72. "Four Electrocuted In Chicago Jail For Four Murders". Meriden Record. October 16, 1931. p. 6.
73. ""Made Peace With God," La. Man Says Before He Hangs". The Afro-American. October 17, 1931. p. 26.
74. ""I Thank You" Slayer Goes to His Death". The Southeast Missourian. October 20, 1931. p. 1.
75. "Murdered Couple Must Pay Penalty". The Telegraph. October 16, 1931. p. 2.
76. "Oregon Man Hanged for Killing Officer". Lewiston Evening Journal. October 30, 1931. p. 1.
77. "Electrocute Two Confessed Killers". The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. October 30, 1931. p. 24.
78. "Altringer Hanged". Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. November 6, 1931. p. 1.
79. "Convicted Slayer Dies On Gallows". Berkeley Daily Gazette. November 13, 1931. p. 8.
80. "Ralls v. State". CaseMine.
81. "Tilby Pays With Life For Murder". Painesville Telegraph. November 21, 1931. p. 1.
82. "Child's Slayer Dies in Chair". The Pittsburgh Press. November 30, 1931. p. 33.
83. "Indian Is Executed". The Border Cities Star. November 30, 1931. p. 1.
84. "DURINGER IS EXECUTED FOR MURDER OF GIRL; Associate of Crowley Dies in the Chair on 26th Birthday as Last Pleas for Reprieve Fail". The New York Times. December 11, 1931.
85. "Hanging Just Beats Insurance Deadline". The Pittsburgh Press. December 12, 1931. p. 1.
86. "Dies in Electric Chair Sings Own Composition". The Newburgh News. December 11, 1931. p. 1.
87. "Electrocute Two Young Negroes For Murder". The Mount Airy News. December 17, 1931. p. 9.
88. "Negro In Chair Pleads For Brother". The Robesonian. December 21, 1931. p. 2.
89. "Wishes All a Merry Christmas and Dies in Electric Chair". Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. December 18, 1931. p. 10.
90. "Pleads Execution Stay". Lewiston Morning Tribune. December 16, 1931. p. 1.
91. "Meat Cutter Pays Penalty for Murder". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 21, 1931. p. 1.
92. "JERSEY SLAYERS EXECUTED.; Two Pay Penalty for Killing During Hold-Up a Salem Glass Works". The New York Times. December 31, 1931.

Preceded by 1930

List of people executed       in the United States in    1931

Succeeded by 1932