List of people executed in the United States in 1943

One hundred and thirty-eight people, one hundred and thirty-sixty male and two female, were executed in the United States in 1943, ninety-seven by electrocution, twenty-six by gas chamber, fourteen by hanging, and one by firing squad. ^[1]

List of people executed in the United States in 1943

No.	Date of execution	Name	Age of person			Gender	Ethnicity	State	Method	Ref.
			At execution	At offense	Age difference
1	January 1, 1943	Daniel Phillips	29	29	0	Male	Black	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[2]
2		Rosanna Lightner Phillips	25	25		Female
3	January 7, 1943	Sam Porter	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Male		Mississippi	Electrocution	[1]
4	January 8, 1943	Grady B. Cole	28	27	1			Arizona	Gas chamber	[3]
5		J.C. Levice	22	21
6		Charles Sanders	20	19
7	January 14, 1943	Edmund Sileo	28	26	2		White	New York	Electrocution	[4]
8		Joseph Sonsky	33	24	9
9	January 15, 1943	Jarvis Theodore Roosevelt Catoe	38	36	2		Black	District of Columbia		[5]
10		Raymond Dowdell	31	26	5			Georgia		[6]
11		McCoy Combs	21	19	2		White	Kentucky		[7]
12		Burnett Sexton	18	17	1
13		James Gilliam	40	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Maryland	Hanging	[8]
14		Sue Belle Logue	46	45	1	Female	White	South Carolina	Electrocution	[9]
15		George Reed Logue	54	53		Male
16		Clarence King Bagwell	34	33
17	January 18, 1943	Forrest Saylor	35	35	0		Black	Florida		[10]
18	January 19 1943	Jerry Sykes	26	25	1			U.S. military	Hanging	[11]
19	January 21, 1943	Frank Castellano	26	25			White	New York	Electrocution	[12]
20		Angelo Mendez	30	21	9		Hispanic
21	January 22, 1943	Leslie Bela Gireth	39	38	1		White	California	Gas chamber	[13]
22	January 29, 1943	Sam Hairston	22	21			Black	North Carolina		[14]
23	January 30, 1943	Hugh Pierre	34	28	6			Louisiana	Electrocution	[15]
24	February 4, 1943	Richard Smith	24	20	4			Georgia		[1]
25	February 5, 1943	Robert Walter Avery	34	32	2		White	Utah	Firing squad	[16]
26	February 12, 1943	Luther Lee Cooper	23	21				Mississippi	Electrocution	[17]
27	February 19, 1943	Haywood Bossie	24	24	0		Black	Alabama		[18]
28		James Corbett Rawlins	46	46			White	Arizona	Gas chamber	[19]
29		Palmer Ray Meares	34	34				North Carolina		[20]
30		Leo Lera	33	29	4			Texas	Electrocution	[21]
31	February 23, 1943	Peter Gurski	25	25	0			Connecticut		[22]
32	February 26, 1943	Robert H. Anderson	37	36	1			Kentucky		[23]
33		Raymond S. Baxter	29	27	2
34		Thomas Penney	33	32	1
35		Ernest Trent	26	24	2
36		William E. Wallace	55	54	1			Oregon	Gas chamber	[24]
37	March 1, 1943	Vincent J. Christy	38	37				Florida	Electrocution	[25]
38	March 4, 1943	Harold J. Elling	21	19	2			New York		[26]
39	March 12, 1943	Charles Clinton Coates Jr.	29	29	0			Georgia		[27]
40		James Ford	32	31	1		Black	Maryland	Hanging	[28]
41	March 19, 1943	George Schubert Knapp	38	38	0		White	U.S. military		[29]
42		Adolph Thomas	35	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Arkansas	Electrocution	[1]
43		James Branch Mooring Jr.	22	22	0			Virginia		[30]
44		Chester Montgomery	29	26	3			Washington	Hanging	[31]
45	March 23, 1943	Harold Finnon Burks	26	23				Louisiana	Electrocution	[1]
46	March 26, 1943	Francis Albert Line	27	27	0		White	U.S. military	Hanging	[32]
47		Lewis Wilcoxon	20	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
48	March 29, 1943	John Childers	33	32	1			Pennsylvania		[33]
49	March 30, 1943	William Lonas Hedden	44	42	2		White	Tennessee		[34]
50		Robert George Cannon	26	25	1		Black
51	March 31, 1943	William Patrick Jennings	23	22				Ohio		[35]
52	April 2, 1943	Jesse Jones	20	19				South Carolina		[36]
53	April 6, 1943	Manuel Griffin	33	Unknown	Unknown			Louisiana		[1]
54		Roy Willard Jacobs	41	33	8		White	Washington	Hanging	[37]
55	April 16, 1943	John Henry Lee	19	Unknown	Unknown		Black	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[1]
56		Finley Porter	40	Unknown	Unknown			Oklahoma	Electrocution	[38]
57	April 20, 1943	Wilson H. Funderburk	38	Unknown	Unknown			Connecticut		[39]
58	April 26, 1943	Henry Lock	43	42	1			Ohio		[1]
59		Herbert Green	41	39	2			Pennsylvania		[40]
60	April 27, 1943	Elisandro Lopez Macias	20	18			Hispanic	Arizona	Gas chamber	[41]
61	April 29, 1943	John Cullen	45	44	1		White	New York	Electrocution	[42]
62		Eli Edward Shonbrun	33	32
63	May 14, 1943	Warren S. Cramer	25	24				California	Gas chamber	[43]
64	May 21, 1943	Lewis Moody	26	Unknown	Unknown		Black	North Carolina		[1]
65	May 28, 1943	Bernice Franklin	17	17	0			Georgia	Electrocution
66		Joel Luther Palmer	30	30			White			[44]
67	June 4, 1943	Frank Johnson	24	21	3		Black	Alabama		[1]
68		Freeman Holton	22	20	2			Maryland	Hanging	[45]
69		Frank Williams	25	23
70		Wilbur Jackson	22	20
71		Bill Bryant	39	38	1		White	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[46]
72		Harvey Hunt	21	20			Native American
73		Purcell Smith	22	21
74	June 10, 1943	Mose Sims	23	22			Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
75	June 18, 1943	James Utley	24	23				North Carolina	Gas chamber
76	June 25, 1943	William Carson Gray	18	17				Kentucky	Electrocution
77		Archie Simpson	21	20
78		Robert Hayward Gray	35	34				Massachusetts		[47]
79		Donald Millard	19	17	2	White
80		Joseph E. Sheppard	25	23
81		O'Neal Williams	18	18	0	Black	Mississippi	[1]
82	June 30, 1943	Anthony Treat	58	57	1	White	Ohio	[48]
83	July 6, 1943	Herman Carter	Unknown	Unknown	0	Black	Louisiana	[49]
84		George Washington	Unknown	Unknown	1
85	July 8, 1943	Benitez DeJesus	19	18	1	Hispanic	New York	[50]
86		Edward Haight	17	16		White
87		William Diaz	18	17		Hispanic
88	July 14, 1943	Hiram Prather	35	33	2	White	Oklahoma	[51]
89	July 15, 1943	Alfred Haynes	26	25	1	Black	New York	[52]
90		James Felix Tucker	31	29	2	White	Tennessee	[53]
91		Marshall Spigner	45	44	1
92	July 16, 1943	Sylvester McKinney	21	20		Black	South Carolina	[54]
93		Johnnie Sims	17	16
94	July 19, 1943	Edmund Reed	26	25			Georgia	[55]
95	July 21, 1943	Arthur Lee Wilson	24	23			Texas	[1]
96	July 26, 1943	Levi Brandon	23	22			U.S. military	Hanging	[56]
97	August 6, 1943	Walter J. Bohn	26	26	0	White
98		Leroy Goldsmith	38	Unknown	Unknown	Black	Alabama	Electrocution	[57]
99		Harry Thompson	44	43	1		Arkansas		[1]
100	August 10, 1943	Adel Johnson	21	20			Georgia
101	August 13, 1943	Henry Daniels Jr.	19	17	2		Alabama		[58]
102		Curtis Robinson	20	18
103		John Lawrence Coleman	50	48		White	California	Gas chamber	[59]
104		John Lampkin	19	Unknown	Unknown	Black	Maryland	Hanging	[1]
105	August 14, 1943	James Clyde Arwood	41	40	1	White	Federal government	Electrocution	[60]
106	August 20, 1943	Marlin Hancock	43	42			Georgia		[61]
107		Eugene Pittman	28	27		Black
108		John Thomas Russell	27	26
109		Charlie Sexton	16	16	0
110	August 31, 1943	John Richard	60	Unknown	Unknown		Louisiana		[1]
111	September 3, 1943	Rex Beard Jr.	20	19	1	White	Texas		[62]
112	September 10, 1943	Phillip J. Coleman Jr.	24	24	0	Black	Montana	Hanging	[63]
113	September 15, 1943	Ervin Griffin	19	18	1		Ohio	Electrocution	[1]
114	September 16, 1943	Anibal Almodovar	21	20		Hispanic	New York		[64]
115	September 20, 1943	John Sullivan	54	52	2	White	Colorado	Gas chamber	[65]
116	September 24, 1943	Serina Hodo	23	23	0	Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
117	October 1, 1943	Joseph C. Williams	22	Unknown	Unknown		Mississippi
118	October 4, 1943	Cornelius Earnest Parker	24	24	0		Florida		[66]
119		Edward James Ralph	32	32		White	Ohio		[67]
120	October 8, 1943	George Masayoshi Honda	38	36	2	Asian	Colorado	Gas chamber	[68]
121		William Henry Poole	30	29	1	Black	North Carolina		[1]
122	October 15, 1943	Harry Edward Farris	28	26	2	White	Virginia	Electrocution	[69]
123	October 22, 1943	Tommie Lee Mathis	23	22	1	Black	Georgia		[70]
124	October 23, 1943	Robert Williams	20	Unknown	Unknown				[71]
125	October 25, 1943	Ruffie Lundon	44	Unknown	Unknown		Florida		[72]
126		James Allen Young	32	31	1
127	October 29, 1943	George Washington James	54	53
128		Willie Smith	47	46			North Carolina	Gas chamber	[1]
129		Delores Quiroz	31	Unknown	Unknown	Hispanic	Texas	Electrocution
130	November 19, 1943	Sammie Osborne	20	18	2	Black	South Carolina		[73]
131	November 22, 1943	James Perry Acree	32	30		White	Florida		[74]
132	November 26, 1943	Ernest Emory Wishon	35	34	1		Illinois		[75]
133		John Willie Redfern	40	Unknown	Unknown	Black	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[76]
134	November 27, 1943	Floyd L. McKinney	34	33	1	White	Nevada		[77]
135	December 10, 1943	Clyde Morris Grass	32	31			North Carolina		[1]
136	December 11, 1943	S.A. Ellison	17	17	0	Black	Georgia	Electrocution
137	December 15, 1943	Robert Hall	50	49	1		Tennessee
138	December 31, 1943	H.T. Johnson	22	21			Georgia

Demographics

Gender
Male	132	99%
Female	2	1%
Ethnicity
Black	78	57%
White	52	38%
Hispanic	6	4%
Native American	2	1%
Asian	1	1%
State
Georgia	18	13%
North Carolina	14	10%
New York	12	9%
Kentucky	8	6%
Florida	7	5%
South Carolina	7	5%
Louisiana	6	4%
Maryland	6	4%
Alabama	5	4%
Arizona	5	4%
Ohio	5	4%
Tennessee	5	4%
U.S. military	5	4%
Mississippi	4	3%
Texas	4	3%
California	3	2%
Massachusetts	3	2%
Arkansas	2	1%
Colorado	2	1%
Connecticut	2	1%
Oklahoma	2	1%
Pennsylvania	2	1%
Virginia	2	1%
Washington	2	1%
District of Columbia	1	1%
Federal government	1	1%
Illinois	1	1%
Montana	1	1%
Nevada	1	1%
Oregon	1	1%
Utah	1	1%
Method
Electrocution	97	70%
Gas chamber	26	19%
Hanging	14	10%
Firing squad	1	1%
Month
January	23	17%
February	13	9%
March	15	11%
April	11	8%
May	4	3%
June	16	12%
July	14	10%
August	14	10%
September	6	4%
October	13	9%
November	5	4%
December	4	3%
Age
Unknown	3	2%
10–19	14	10%
20–29	61	44%
30–39	36	26%
40–49	16	12%
50–59	7	5%
60–69	1	1%
Total	138	100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1944	120
1943	138
1942	148
Total	406

References

1. "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved September 3, 2025.
2. "N.C. Couple Executed for Ax Slaying". Baltimore Afro-American. January 12, 1943. p. 2.
3. "Three Negroes Die For Killing Cabby". The Evening Independent. January 8, 1943. p. 1.
4. "SILEO, SONSKY GO TO CHAIR; Bookmaker Is First Killer to Die Under 2 Separate Convictions". The New York Times. January 15, 1943.
5. "Confessed Negro Killer Executed At Washington". Lewiston Morning Tribune. January 16, 1943. p. 5.
6. "Dowdell v. State". CaseMine.
7. "Dowdell v. State". CaseMine.
8. "Slayer Dies on Gallows" (PDF). The Afro American. January 16, 1943. p. 20.
9. "Carolina Feud Ended By State". The Tuscaloosa News. January 15, 1943. p. 2.
10. "Negro Scheduled To Die in Chair". The Evening Independent. January 14, 1943. p. 2.
11. "Article clipped from The Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. January 20, 1943. p. 4. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
12. "POLICEMEN'S KILLERS DIE; Castellano and Mendez Go to the Chair at Sing Sing". The New York Times. January 22, 1943.
13. "Californian Dies For Love Slaying". The Evening Independent. January 22, 1943. p. 1.
14. "State v. Hairston". CourtListener.
15. "Executed After 6-Year Fight". Youngstown Vindicator. January 31, 1943. p. 4.
16. "Utah Executes Killer Bandit". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 6, 1943. p. 2.
17. "Cooper v. State". CaseMine. January 31, 1943. p. 4.
18. "Bossie Seeks Clemecy Decree From Governor". The Tuscaloosa News. January 29, 1943. p. 2.
19. "Slayer of Arizona Child Executed". The Evening Independent. February 19, 1943. p. 1.
20. "Meares Services Are Held Sunday". The Robesonian via newspapers.com. February 22, 1943. p. 1.
21. "Leo Lera, With Prayer on Lips, Is Electrocuted". Coriscana Daily Sun via newspapers.com. February 19, 1943. p. 9.
22. "Gurski Executed At Wethersfield". Meriden Record. February 24, 1943. p. 11.
23. "Kentucky Executes Slayers Of Golf Star Marion Miley". Toledo Blade. February 26, 1943. p. 3.
24. "Killer to Die In Gas Chamber". The Bulletin. February 22, 1943. p. 2.
25. "Slayer of Four Dies in Chair". Ludington Daily News. March 2, 1943. p. 4.
26. "Harold Elling execution notice". The New York Times. March 5, 1943.
27. "Slayer of Georgia Cop Is Executed". The Evening Independent. March 12, 1943. p. 1.
28. "Appeal Lost; Attack Suspect Must Die". Baltimore Afro-American. January 19, 1943. p. 1.
29. "Article clipped from Press of Atlantic City". Press of Atlantic City. March 20, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
30. "Governor Refuses Stay of Execution". The Free-Lance Star. March 18, 1943. p. 1.
31. "Slayer Dies on Gallows". The Pittsburgh Press. March 19, 1943. p. 10.
32. "Pvt. Francis A. Line hanged for raping 12 yr old girl". Arizona Daily Star. March 27, 1943. p. 3. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
33. "Commutation Sought". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 18, 1943. p. 5.
34. "Two Convicted In Slayings Die in Chair". Kingsport News via newspapers.com. March 31, 1943. p. 3.
35. "Jennings Dies In Ohio Chair". Youngstown Vindicator. April 1, 1943. p. 8.
36. "Jesse Jones is Electrocuted for Hughes' Slaying". Herald-Journal. April 3, 1943. p. 2.
37. "Walla Walla Prison Hangs Roy Jacobs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. April 6, 1943. p. 2.
38. "Convict Executed For Killing Cellmate". Reading Eagle. April 16, 1943. p. 51.
39. "Slayer Executed". Hartford Courant via newspapers.com. April 21, 1943. p. 4.
40. "Negro Murderer Dies In Chair". Gettysburg Times. April 26, 1943. p. 3.
41. "Arizona Murderer Dies in Gas Cell". Berkeley Daily Gazette. April 27, 1943. p. 2.
42. "SHONBRUN, CULLEN ARE SENT TO CHAIR; Killers of Refugee Woman in a $2,000 Jewel Theft Pay the Death Penalty in Sing Sing". The New York Times. April 30, 1943.
43. "Young Killer Dies In Lethal Chamber". Prescott Evening Courier. May 14, 1943. p. 2.
44. "Palmer v. State". vLex.
45. "The Monumental City". Baltimore Afro-American. June 8, 1943. p. 8.
46. "Scheduled To Die Friday". The Robesonian. June 3, 1943. p. 1.
47. "Trio Executed Early Today in Charlestown". The Lewiston Daily Sun. June 25, 1943. p. 1.
48. "Child Slayer 'Says Blessing' Then Goes to Death in Chair". Toledo Blade. July 1, 1943. p. 3.
49. "Two Convicted Negro Murderers to Die at Lake Providence, La". Clarion-Ledger via newspapers.com. June 18, 1943. p. 9.
50. "Haight, 17, Youngest to Die in the Chair; 2 Other Lads, 18 and 19, Also Pay Penalty". The New York Times. July 9, 1943.
51. "Oklahoma Takes Life Of Warden's Slayer". The Southeast Missourian. July 15, 1943. p. 2.
52. "Dewey Hears Plea to Save Young Killer". Schenectady Gazette. July 1, 1943. p. 6.
53. "Spigner Describes Slaying Before Going to His Death". The Commercial Appeal via newspapers.com. July 16, 1943. p. 13.
54. "Spigner Describes Slaying Before Going to His Death". Herald-Journal. May 7, 1943. p. 1.
55. "Ga. Sgt. Electrocuted for Killing Policeman". The Afro American. July 24, 1943. p. 7.
56. "Negro Soldier Put to Death". St. Joseph Gazette. July 27, 1943. p. 5.
57. "Negro Electrocuted". The Tuscaloosa News. August 9, 1943. p. 1.
58. "Doomed Pair Fail in High Court Plea". Baltimore Afro-American. June 1, 1943. p. 5.
59. "People v. Coleman". Stanford Law School.
60. "Arwood Calm, Refuses To Talk As He Goes to Chair Unmoved". The Tennessean via newspapers.com. August 15, 1943. p. 11.
61. "Electrocute Three Men in Georgia". Sun Herald via newspapers.com. August 21, 1943. p. 4.
62. "Beard Gets Stay". The Victoria Advocate. June 17, 1943. p. 1.
63. "Coleman Dies on Gallows Today In County Jail". The Daily Missoulian via newspapers.com. September 10, 1943. p. 1.
64. "Wife Killer Dies in Chair". Newsday via newspapers.com. September 17, 1943. p. 2.
65. "Colorado Killer Executed". The Deseret News. September 20, 1943. p. 1.
66. "Pal of Slayer Found Guilty In Long Slaying". The Tampa Times via newspapers.com. March 25, 1943. p. 9.
67. "Slayer of Child Dies in Ohio Chair". Toledo Blade. October 5, 1943. p. 8.
68. "Jap-American Hopes We Will Win, Then Dies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. October 10, 1943. p. 10.
69. "Farris Executed By State Today". The Free-Lance Star. October 15, 1943. p. 1.
70. "Mathis v. State". vLex.
71. "Williams v. State". vLex.
72. "Two Negroes Executed At Raiford Prison". St. Petersburg Times. October 26, 1943. p. 16.
73. "Barnwell Negro Goes to Chair in Farmer's Slaying". Herald-Journal. November 20, 1943. p. 2.
74. "Perry Acree Dies For Murder Of Tampa Salesman". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 22, 1943. p. 1.
75. "Quotes 23rd Psalm Then Goes to Death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 26, 1943. p. 6.
76. "Mechanism For Executing Negro Murderer Jams". Lewiston Morning Tribune. November 27, 1943. p. 3.
77. "Slayer Put to Death". The Pittsburgh Press. November 28, 1943. p. 20.

Preceded by 1942

List of people executed       in the United States in    1943

Succeeded by 1944