List of people executed in the United States in 1959

Last updated

Fifty people, all male, were executed in the United States in 1959, forty by electrocution, nine by gas chamber, and one by hanging. [1]

Contents

The state of West Virginia would conduct its final execution this year, before abolishing capital punishment in 1965. Leonard Shockley became the last person to be executed while still a juvenile in the United States.

List of people executed in the United States in 1959

No.Date of executionNameAge of personGenderEthnicityStateMethodRef.
At executionAt offenseAge difference
1January 12, 1959Willie Horne Jr.25232MaleBlack Florida Electrocution [2]
2January 19, 1959Jimmie Lee Thomas35323 [3]
3February 2, 1959Dallas Edgar Withers3633White [4]
4February 4, 1959Phillip Slater351Black Texas [5]
5February 6, 1959J.C. Murray5453 Georgia [6]
6February 27, 1959James Lewis Feldkamp25214White California Gas chamber [7]
7March 7, 1959Vernice Lonnie Craft41392Black Arizona [1]
8April 3, 1959 Elmer David Bruner White West Virginia Electrocution [8]
9April 10, 1959 Leonard Melvin Shockley 17161Black Maryland Gas chamber [9]
10April 13, 1959Lester G. Graves2322White Pennsylvania Electrocution [10]
11April 24, 1959Willis Dameron Boyd2423 Virginia [1]
12William Brown5655Black [11]
13May 4, 1959Cleveland Thompson362610Pennsylvania [1]
14May 22, 1959Richard G. Riser33294WhiteCaliforniaGas chamber [12]
15Edward Eckwerth31283 New York Electrocution [13]
16May 28, 1959Milton Williams28262BlackTexas [14]
17May 29, 1959 Vender Lee Duncan 315CaliforniaGas chamber [15]
18June 1, 1959Harley Austin Conner58553WhiteFloridaElectrocution [16]
19John Frazier44422Black [17]
20Frank Peterson28271 [18]
21June 5, 1959Frank Junior Hill3635Georgia [1]
22June 15, 1959Thomas Rutledge3332White Tennessee [19]
23June 24, 1959Carl Daniel Kier23203BlackMarylandGas chamber [20]
24June 25, 1959 Charles Raymond Starkweather 20191White Nebraska Electrocution [21]
25June 26, 1959Cecil Herman Ward26242CaliforniaGas chamber [22]
26July 3, 1959Walter J. Byomin4240 Ohio Electrocution [23]
27July 16, 1959Ralph Dawkins2422BlackNew York [24]
28Jackson Turner Jr.2321 [1]
29July 23, 1959 Leroy Keith 52493 [25]
30July 24, 1959Lawrence Smith19181 Arkansas [26]
31August 4, 1959Jessie Doffies Smith4241Texas [1]
32August 7, 1959William Charlton2322Georgia [27]
33August 21, 1959Stephen A. Nash35323WhiteCaliforniaGas chamber [28]
34August 28, 1959E.C. Daniels49472BlackFloridaElectrocution [29]
35Sam Wiley Odom2018 [30]
36September 18, 1959 Harvey Murray Glatman 3129WhiteCaliforniaGas chamber [31]
37September 20, 1959George James Davies41383 Connecticut Electrocution [32]
38September 23, 1959 John E. Day Jr. 30219Black U.S. military Hanging [1]
39September 25, 1959Leo Lee56533ArkansasElectrocution [33]
40October 2, 1959William Young40391 [1]
41Thomas Walker52502 [34]
42October 23, 1959J.T. House25241 [1]
43Arthur Hayes4443 [1]
44October 26, 1959Frank Wojculewicz42348WhiteConnecticut [35]
45October 28, 1959Robert Lee Williams22202BlackPennsylvania [36]
46November 13, 1959Willie George City211Florida [1]
47John Edward Paul24UnknownUnknown [37]
48December 4, 1959Ernest Cornell Walker25241 Alabama [38]
49December 11, 1959Edwin Ray Dockery2625White [39]
50December 18, 1959Eddie Wilson25UnknownUnknownBlackGeorgia [40]

Demographics

Gender
Male50
Female0
Ethnicity
Black33
White17
State
Florida 10
Arkansas 6
California 6
Georgia 4
New York 4
Pennsylvania 3
Texas 3
Alabama 2
Connecticut 2
Maryland 2
Virginia 2
Arizona 1
Nebraska 1
Ohio 1
Tennessee 1
U.S. military 1
West Virginia 1
Method
Electrocution 40
Gas chamber 9
Hanging 1
Month
January2
February4
March1
April5
May5
June8
July5
August5
September4
October6
November2
December3
Age
10–192
20–2920
30–3912
40–4910
50–596
Total50100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1960 56
195950
1958 50
Total156

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  2. "The governor and the condemned man's sister". Tampa Bay Times. March 17, 1991.
  3. "Thomas v. State". Cetient.
  4. "Withers v. State". CaseMine.
  5. "Slater v. State". CourtListener.
  6. "Murray v. State". Justia Law.
  7. "Stolid Killer Dies In Gas Chamber". Daily Independent Journal via newspapers.com. February 27, 1959. p. 1.
  8. "State v. Bruner". Justia Law.
  9. "Shockley v. State". vLex.
  10. "Commonwealth v. Graves". CourtListener.
  11. "Verdict In Negro Murder Trial Postponed". Northern Virginia Daily. January 13, 1959. p. 5.
  12. "People v. Riser". Justia Law.
  13. "United States of America Ex Rel. Edward Eckwerth, Appellant, v. Wilfred L. Denno, Warden of Sing Sing Prison, Respondent, 261 F.2d 511 (2d Cir. 1959)". Justia Law.
  14. "Williams v. State". Justia Law.
  15. "Slayer's Appeal Rejected". The San Francisco Examiner via newspapers.com. February 4, 1959. p. 24.
  16. "Conner v. State". vLex.
  17. "Negro Sentenced To Die In Chair". The Orlando Sentinel via newspapers.com. December 13, 1957. p. 9.
  18. "Negro Returned to Florida To Face Trial for Murder". Wellsville Daily Reporter. November 18, 1958. p. 9.
  19. "Rutledge Executed At Penitentiary". The Jackson Sun via newspapers.com. June 15, 1959. p. 1.
  20. "Killer Dies In Gas Chamber For Murder Of Mrs. Bopst". The Baltimore Sun via newspapers.com. June 15, 1959. p. 1.
  21. "Charles R. Starkweather, Relator and Plaintiff, Appellant, v. John Greenholtz, Deputy and Acting Warden, Nebraska State Penitentiary, Respondent and Defendant, Appellee, 267 F.2d 858 (8th Cir. 1959)". Justia Law.
  22. "Cecil Herman Ward, Appellant, v. State of California, Respondent, 269 F.2d 906 (9th Cir. 1959)". Justia Law.
  23. "State v. Byomin". CourtListener.
  24. "Court Denies Appeal Of an Executed Killer". The New York Times. October 20, 1959.
  25. "SLAYER DIES IN CHAIR; Killer of Bronx Taxi Driver Electrocuted at Sing Sing". The New York Times. July 24, 1959.
  26. "Smith v. State". CaseMine.
  27. "Smith v. State". Justia Law.
  28. "People v. Nash". Stanford Law School.
  29. "Daniels v. State". Justia Law.
  30. "Odom v. State". Justia Law.
  31. "People v. Glatman". Stanford Law School.
  32. "State v. Davies". Justia Law.
  33. "Lee v. State". Justia Law.
  34. "Walker v. State". CaseMine.
  35. "State v. Wojculewicz". Justia Law.
  36. "Com. v. Williams". vLex.
  37. "Paul v. State". vLex.
  38. "Walker v. State". Justia Law.
  39. "Dockery v. State". Justia Law.
  40. "Wilson v. State". Justia Law.
Preceded by
1958
   List of people executed   
   in the United States in   
1959
Succeeded by
1960