One hundred and twenty people, one hundred and seventeen male and three female, were executed in the United States in 1944, eighty-four by electrocution, twenty-four by gas chamber, eleven by hanging, and one by firing squad. [1]
The U.S. territory of Hawaii would conduct its final execution this year before abolishing the death penalty in 1957; it was not a state until 1959. [2]
Finally, four notable executions were those of Emmanuel Weiss, Louis Buchalter, and Louis Capone (no relation to Al Capone). [3] George Stinney, meanwhile, was controversially executed by South Carolina and exonerated 70 years later. [4]
No. | Date of execution | Name | Age of person | Gender | Ethnicity | State | Method | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
At execution | At offense | Age difference | ||||||||
1 | January 5, 1944 | Willie Hubbard | 28 | Unknown | Unknown | Male | Black | Georgia | Electrocution | [1] |
2 | January 6, 1944 | Joseph Charles Mascari | 32 | 31 | 1 | White | New York | [5] | ||
3 | January 7, 1944 | Isaac Irwin | 31 | 29 | 2 | Georgia | [1] | |||
4 | Adriano Domingo | 33 | 32 | 1 | Asian | Hawaii Territory | Hanging | [6] | ||
5 | January 8, 1944 | Lionel James Allen | 28 | 27 | Black | Louisiana | Electrocution | [7] | ||
6 | January 13, 1944 | Herbert Lewis | 35 | Unknown | Unknown | New York | [1] | |||
7 | January 14, 1944 | Louis Vernon Hand | 17 | 17 | 0 | White | Ohio | [8] | ||
8 | January 21, 1944 | Marcelino Bautista | 31 | 31 | Asian | California | Gas chamber | [9] | ||
9 | Louis Valle | 43 | 42 | 1 | White | New York | Electrocution | [10] | ||
10 | January 28, 1944 | Farrington Graham Hill | 31 | 30 | California | Gas chamber | [11] | |||
11 | Alex Harris | 48 | 47 | North Carolina | [12] | |||||
12 | February 3, 1944 | Willie Hicks | 18 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Georgia | Electrocution | [1] | |
13 | February 4, 1944 | Claude Newman | 20 | 19 | 1 | Mississippi | [13] | |||
14 | February 9, 1944 | Elijah Parker | 23 | 21 | 2 | [14] | ||||
15 | February 10, 1944 | John Regan | 34 | 32 | White | New York | [15] | |||
16 | February 15, 1944 | Glenard Brown | 19 | 18 | 1 | California | Gas chamber | [16] | ||
17 | John Swan | 26 | 24 | 2 | Black | New Jersey | Electrocution | [17] | ||
18 | February 18, 1944 | Andrew Wilson Farrell | 25 | 1 | White | North Carolina | Gas chamber | [18] | ||
19 | February 25, 1944 | William Charles Holsey | 33 | 32 | Black | Maryland | Hanging | [19] | ||
20 | Waymon Grainger | 31 | 29 | 2 | North Carolina | Gas chamber | [20] | |||
21 | February 29, 1944 | Howard E. Jefferson | 30 | 27 | 3 | New Jersey | Electrocution | [1] | ||
22 | March 2, 1944 | Joseph Palmer | 28 | 26 | 2 | White | New York | [21] | ||
23 | Vincent Sallami | 26 | 24 | |||||||
24 | March 3, 1944 | James Raymond Woodall | 36 | 36 | 0 | Virginia | [22] | |||
25 | March 4, 1944 | Parker Lloyd Adams | 27 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Louisiana | [1] | ||
26 | Louis Capone | 47 | 40 | 7 | White | New York | [23] | |||
27 | Emanuel Weiss | 37 | 30 | |||||||
28 | Louis Buchalter | 47 | 39 | 8 | ||||||
29 | March 6, 1944 | Anthony Wilson | 30 | 28 | 2 | Black | Louisiana | [24] | ||
30 | Harvey Cunningham | 39 | 37 | Oregon | Gas chamber | [25] | ||||
31 | March 7, 1944 | Marvin Lewis Lee | 22 | Unknown | Unknown | Georgia | Electrocution | [1] | ||
32 | March 10, 1944 | Ernest L. Hoefgen | 32 | 31 | 1 | White | Kansas | Hanging | [26] | |
33 | Willie Johnson | 37 | 36 | Black | Ohio | Electrocution | [27] | |||
34 | March 15, 1944 | Paul Leroy Williams | 25 | 23 | 2 | White | Illinois | [28] | ||
35 | March 17, 1944 | Rock Hooten | 24 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Georgia | [1] | ||
36 | March 20, 1944 | Michael Musto | 45 | 44 | 1 | White | Pennsylvania | [29] | ||
37 | March 24, 1944 | Lewis Mitchell | 28 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Alabama | [30] | ||
38 | James Sidney Newsom Jr. | 17 | 16 | 1 | Mississippi | [31] | ||||
39 | March 31, 1944 | Martin Smith | 20 | Unknown | Unknown | Maryland | Hanging | [1] | ||
40 | April 7, 1944 | Herbert Rozier | 72 | 71 | 1 | Georgia | Electrocution | [32] | ||
41 | April 15, 1944 | Fred L. Brady | 47 | 46 | White | Kansas | Hanging | [33] | ||
42 | Clark B. Knox | 26 | 25 | Black | ||||||
43 | April 16, 1944 | Bruce Elton Jordan | 25 | 24 | White | Texas | Electrocution | [1] | ||
44 | April 28, 1944 | Oscar Reed | 26 | 25 | Black | Georgia | ||||
45 | Robert Walker | 23 | 3 | |||||||
46 | James Crosby | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Mississippi | |||||
47 | May 2, 1944 | Juan Gutierrez | 40 | Unknown | Unknown | Hispanic | Texas | |||
48 | May 3, 1944 | Carlo James DeCaro Jr. | 19 | 19 | 0 | White | Connecticut | [34] | ||
49 | May 5, 1944 | Lawrence Pascal Phillips Sr. | 44 | 42 | 2 | Mississippi | [35] | |||
50 | May 12, 1944 | Daniel Kolez | 53 | 51 | California | Gas chamber | [36] | |||
51 | Sammy Joe Timmons | 20 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | South Carolina | Electrocution | [37] | ||
52 | May 19, 1944 | James Samuel Hughes | Unknown | Unknown | 1 | White | Mississippi | [1] | ||
53 | Mildred Louise Johnson | 23 | 22 | Female | Black | [38] | ||||
54 | May 25, 1944 | Grady Ellison | 36 | 34 | 2 | Male | Georgia | [1] | ||
55 | John Ranford | 41 | 40 | 1 | New York | [39] | ||||
56 | May 26, 1944 | Howard Robinson Walker | 27 | Unknown | Unknown | Virginia | [40] | |||
57 | June 2, 1944 | Seke Mack | 40 | Unknown | Unknown | Arkansas | [1] | |||
58 | June 3, 1944 | Louis Parisi | 24 | 22 | 2 | White | New York | |||
59 | June 16, 1944 | William Shaw | 35 | 34 | 1 | Black | California | Gas chamber | [41] | |
60 | John Hinton | 25 | 25 | 0 | Maryland | Hanging | [42] | |||
61 | Allen Lambus | 72 | 71 | 1 | Missouri | Gas chamber | [43] | |||
62 | George Junius Stinney Jr. | 14 | 14 | 0 | South Carolina | Electrocution | [44] | |||
63 | George Bruce Hamilton | 21 | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
64 | Thomas William Clatterbuck | 34 | 33 | 1 | White | Virginia | [45] | |||
65 | June 19, 1944 | Austin Cox Jr. | 38 | 38 | 0 | Utah | Firing squad | [46] | ||
66 | June 23, 1944 | Gordon Cooke | 21 | 19 | 2 | Black | New York | Electrocution | [47] | |
67 | Winston A. Sealy | 22 | 20 | |||||||
68 | June 26, 1944 | Edgar Flowers | 21 | 19 | Florida | [1] | ||||
69 | June 29, 1944 | Alex Bellomo | 25 | 23 | White | New York | [48] | |||
70 | Peter DeLutro | 23 | 21 | |||||||
71 | Frank DiMaria | |||||||||
72 | June 30, 1944 | Raymond Plunkett | 30 | 29 | 1 | Nevada | Gas chamber | [49] | ||
73 | July 7, 1944 | Walker Hudson | 53 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Arkansas | Electrocution | [1] | |
74 | July 9, 1944 | Bennie Johnson | 41 | 40 | 1 | Texas | [50] | |||
75 | David Williams | 19 | 17 | 2 | ||||||
76 | July 14, 1944 | James Tacker | 61 | Unknown | Unknown | White | Arkansas | [1] | ||
77 | July 28, 1944 | William B. Stroup | 39 | 38 | 1 | Georgia | [51] | |||
78 | July 30, 1944 | Clay Whittle | 37 | 36 | Texas | [52] | ||||
79 | August 10, 1944 | Eddie Dillon | 35 | 34 | Black | Mississippi | [1] | |||
80 | August 18, 1944 | Florencio Alcalde | 31 | 29 | 2 | Hispanic | California | Gas chamber | [53] | |
81 | August 19, 1944 | Edward Thompson | 25 | 23 | White | Florida | Electrocution | [54] | ||
82 | Earl Thompson | 33 | 31 | |||||||
83 | August 27, 1944 | George Johnson | 30 | Unknown | Unknown | Black | Texas | [1] | ||
84 | Willie Johnson | 38 | 36 | 2 | ||||||
85 | August 31, 1944 | York Hing Lew | 19 | 18 | 1 | Asian | New York | [55] | ||
86 | Tieh Li Yun | 24 | 23 | |||||||
87 | September 8, 1944 | Persia Williams | 38 | 38 | 0 | Black | Washington | Hanging | [56] | |
88 | September 15, 1944 | Alvin Krause | 29 | 28 | 1 | White | Illinois | Electrocution | [57] | |
89 | September 25, 1944 | George Nelson Gatling | 37 | 37 | 0 | Black | Pennsylvania | [1] | ||
90 | September 29, 1944 | Floyd Burton Loveless | 17 | 15 | 2 | White | Nevada | Gas chamber | [58] | |
91 | October 9, 1944 | James Davis | 16 | 16 | 0 | Black | Florida | Electrocution | [59] | |
92 | Freddie Lee Lane | 20 | 20 | |||||||
93 | James C. Williams | 26 | 26 | |||||||
94 | October 19, 1944 | James Thomas | 20 | 18 | 2 | Missouri | Gas chamber | [60] | ||
95 | November 3, 1944 | Joe Vernon | 38 | 31 | 7 | Alabama | Electrocution | [1] | ||
96 | Charles Ivan Baa | 22 | 20 | 2 | California | Gas chamber | [61] | |||
97 | James Taylor | 48 | Unknown | Unknown | North Carolina | [1] | ||||
98 | Hurley Jones | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | South Carolina | Electrocution | ||||
99 | November 16, 1944 | Helen Fowler | 37 | 36 | 1 | Female | New York | [62] | ||
100 | George Franklin Knight | 27 | 26 | Male | ||||||
101 | November 17, 1944 | Calvin William Watkins Jr. | 24 | 24 | 0 | Maryland | Hanging | [63] | ||
102 | Charles Alexander | Unknown | Unknown | North Carolina | Gas chamber | [1] | ||||
103 | Cleveland Brown Jr. | 27 | 26 | 1 | Wyoming | [64] | ||||
104 | November 24, 1944 | George Walter Brooks | 20 | 20 | 0 | North Carolina | [65] | |||
105 | James W. Buchanan | 19 | 19 | [66] | ||||||
106 | November 27, 1944 | Thomas Hays Elliott | 25 | 23 | 2 | Pennsylvania | Electrocution | [67] | ||
107 | December 1, 1944 | Levi Clingham | 41 | 41 | 0 | Arkansas | [1] | |||
108 | John William Kehoe | 50 | 46 | 4 | White | Mississippi | [68] | |||
109 | December 8, 1944 | Richard Harry Layton | 36 | 35 | 1 | Oregon | Gas chamber | [69] | ||
110 | Edward Heberling | 32 | 32 | 0 | Washington | Hanging | [70] | |||
111 | December 19, 1944 | Joe Basil Stephens | 37 | 36 | 1 | Texas | Electrocution | [71] | ||
112 | December 22, 1944 | Henry Lee Wiley | 23 | 22 | Black | Mississippi | [72] | |||
113 | December 28, 1944 | Tom Mix | 45 | 43 | 2 | Florida | [73] | |||
114 | December 29, 1944 | Stanley Morris Kaster | 36 | 35 | 1 | White | Iowa | Hanging | [74] | |
115 | Joseph Marion Leemon | 19 | 18 | Mississippi | Electrocution | [75] | ||||
116 | Maurice M. Shimniok | |||||||||
117 | Bessie Mae Williams | 19 | 0 | Female | Black | North Carolina | Gas chamber | [76] | ||
118 | Ralph Thompson | 18 | 18 | Male | ||||||
119 | Melvin Wade | 24 | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
120 | December 31, 1944 | Allen Murray | 32 | 30 | 2 | Texas | Electrocution | [1] |
Gender | ||
---|---|---|
Male | 117 | 98% |
Female | 3 | 3% |
Ethnicity | ||
Black | 69 | 58% |
White | 45 | 38% |
Asian | 4 | 3% |
Hispanic | 2 | 2% |
State | ||
New York | 20 | 17% |
Mississippi | 12 | 10% |
Georgia | 10 | 8% |
North Carolina | 10 | 8% |
Texas | 9 | 8% |
California | 7 | 6% |
Florida | 7 | 6% |
Arkansas | 4 | 3% |
Maryland | 4 | 3% |
South Carolina | 4 | 3% |
Kansas | 3 | 3% |
Louisiana | 3 | 3% |
Pennsylvania | 3 | 3% |
Virginia | 3 | 3% |
Alabama | 2 | 2% |
Illinois | 2 | 2% |
Missouri | 2 | 2% |
Nevada | 2 | 2% |
New Jersey | 2 | 2% |
Ohio | 2 | 2% |
Oregon | 2 | 2% |
Washington | 2 | 2% |
Connecticut | 1 | 1% |
Hawaii Territory | 1 | 1% |
Iowa | 1 | 1% |
Utah | 1 | 1% |
Wyoming | 1 | 1% |
Method | ||
Electrocution | 84 | 70% |
Gas chamber | 24 | 20% |
Hanging | 11 | 9% |
Firing squad | 1 | 1% |
Month | ||
January | 11 | 9% |
February | 10 | 8% |
March | 18 | 15% |
April | 7 | 6% |
May | 10 | 8% |
June | 16 | 13% |
July | 6 | 5% |
August | 8 | 7% |
September | 4 | 3% |
October | 4 | 3% |
November | 12 | 10% |
December | 14 | 12% |
Age | ||
Unknown | 3 | 3% |
10–19 | 15 | 13% |
20–29 | 45 | 38% |
30–39 | 37 | 31% |
40–49 | 14 | 12% |
50–59 | 3 | 3% |
60–69 | 1 | 1% |
70–79 | 2 | 2% |
Total | 120 | 100% |
Number of executions | |
---|---|
1945 | 129 |
1944 | 120 |
1943 | 133 |
Total | 382 |
Preceded by 1943 | List of people executed in the United States in 1944 | Succeeded by 1945 |