List of people executed in the United States in 1963

Twenty-one people, all male, were executed in the United States in 1963, thirteen by electrocution, six by gas chamber, and two by hanging. ^[1]

The states of New York and New Jersey would carry out their final executions before abolishing capital punishment in 2004 and 2007 respectively. The United States federal government would also conduct their last execution in the pre- Furman v. Georgia era, with the next occurring in 2001. Furthermore, all pending executions at the end of the year were postponed due to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

List of people executed in the United States in 1963

No.	Date of execution	Name	Age of person			Gender	Ethnicity	State	Method	Ref.
			At execution	At offense	Age difference
1	January 3, 1963	Joe David Sneed	28	25	3	Male	Black	Texas	Electrocution	[2]
2	January 20, 1963	Bennie Lee McIntyre	20	18	2					[3]
3	January 22, 1963	Ralph James Hudson	43	41				New Jersey		[4]
4	January 23, 1963	James Abner Bentley	27	25			White	California	Gas chamber	[5]
5	February 15, 1963	Robert Harris Griffin	44	42			Black	Ohio	Electrocution	[1]
6	February 20, 1963	Leo Daniel Luton Jr.	34	32			White	Texas
7	March 8, 1963	Patrick Mahon McGee	55	52	3			Arizona	Gas chamber	[6]
8	March 14, 1963	Manuel Estrella Silvas	43	39	4		Hispanic
9	March 15, 1963	Victor Harry Feguer	27	25	2		White	Federal government	Hanging	[7]
10		Donald Lawrence Reinbolt	29	27				Ohio	Electrocution	[1]
11	March 21, 1963	Frederick Charles Wood	51	48	3			New York		[8]
12	March 29, 1963	Kenneth M. Slyter	28	27	1			Mississippi	Gas chamber	[9]
13	March 31, 1963	John Lavan Jr.	34	32	2		Black	Texas	Electrocution	[10]
14	June 1, 1963	Richard Henry Dare	30	27	3		White	Oklahoma		[11]
15	June 14, 1963	Willie J. Anderson	22	20	2		Black	Mississippi	Gas chamber	[12]
16	June 15, 1963	Eddie Lee Mays	34	32				New York	Electrocution	[13]
17	June 20, 1963	Joseph Chester Self	32	29	3		White	Washington	Hanging	[14]
18	July 18, 1963	Charles H. Lee	33	30				Florida	Electrocution	[15]
19	July 26, 1963	Sammy Aire Tucker	28	26	2			Missouri	Gas chamber	[16]
20	October 4, 1963	Orleander Jones	19	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
21	October 18, 1963	Ollie Chandler	18	17	1					[17]

Demographics

Gender
Male	21	100%
Female	0	0%
Ethnicity
White	11	52%
Black	9	43%
Hispanic	1	5%
State
Texas	4	19%
Arizona	2	10%
Georgia	2	10%
Mississippi	2	10%
New York	2	10%
Ohio	2	10%
California	1	5%
Federal government	1	5%
Florida	1	5%
Missouri	1	5%
New Jersey	1	5%
Oklahoma	1	5%
Washington	1	5%
Method
Electrocution	13	62%
Gas chamber	6	29%
Hanging	2	10%
Month
January	4	19%
February	2	10%
March	7	33%
April	0	0%
May	0	0%
June	4	19%
July	2	10%
August	0	0%
September	0	0%
October	2	10%
November	0	0%
December	0	0%
Age
10–19	2	10%
20–29	8	38%
30–39	6	29%
40–49	3	14%
50–59	2	10%
Total	21	100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1964	15
1963	21
1962	47
Total	83

References

1. "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved June 17, 2025.
2. "Rapist Electrocuted in Texas Prison". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record via newspapers.com. January 3, 1963. p. 8.
3. "Caprock Chronicles: Lynn County case among last rape executions". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. November 17, 2017.
4. "Last Execution in Jersey Took Life of Murderer Who Didn't Want to Live". The New York Times. December 5, 1976.
5. "People v. Bentley". Stanford Law School.
6. "Killer Silvas Dies In State Gas Chamber". Tucson Citizen via newspapers.com. March 14, 1963. p. 3.
7. "Recalling Last Federal Execution". ABC News. April 27, 2001.
8. "Milestones: Mar. 29, 1963". Time Magazine. March 29, 1963.
9. "Executed". Enterprise-Journal via newspapers.com. March 29, 1963. p. 3.
10. "Summary of the execution of John Lavan Jr". M. E. Grenander Special Collections and Archives. March 31, 1963.
11. "Dare v. State". Justia Law.
12. "Negro Dies In Parchman Gas Chamber For Murder". The Greenwood Commonwealth via newspapers.com. June 14, 1963. p. 1.
13. "The Last Electrocution". The New York Times. March 7, 1995.
14. "Joseph Self Dies on Gallows at State Penitentiary". The Bellingham Herald via newspapers.com. June 20, 1963. p. 3.
15. "Lee v. State". Justia Law.
16. "State v. Tucker". Justia Law.
17. "Siblings work to clear their brother's name". The Valdosta Daily Times. December 6, 2005.

Preceded by 1962

List of people executed       in the United States in    1963

Succeeded by 1964