List of people executed in Oklahoma (pre-1972)

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The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Oklahoma before 1972, when capital punishment was briefly abolished by the Supreme Court's ruling in Furman v. Georgia. For people executed by Oklahoma after the restoration of capital punishment by the Supreme Court's ruling in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), see List of people executed in Oklahoma.[1][2]

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, all executions were carried out by hanging within the county of conviction. Very few hangings occurred during this time period due to governor Lee Cruce's opposition to capital punishment.[3] In 1915, Oklahoma adopted electrocution as its main form of capital punishment, with a designated execution chamber being added to the state penitentiary in McAlester.[4] From that year to 1972, 83 prisoners (all male) were executed in the state penitentiary. 82 were electrocuted; one of the prisoners, sentenced to death by the federal government under the "Lindbergh law", was hanged instead as was required for federal executions at the time.[5] (Hanging was retained by the state as an alternative method.[6])

List of executions

Name Race Age Date of execution County Crime Victim(s) Governor
Frank Ford Black 26 June 12, 1908 Tillman Murder Anna Rogers, black (wife)[7][8][9] Charles N. Haskell
John Hopkins White 38 August 28, 1908 Ottawa Murder Lena Craig, 18, white[10][11]
Will Johnson Black December 11, 1908 Pottawatomie Murder-Robbery Mary Cuppy, elderly, white[12]
Henry Armstrong White November 19, 1909 Noble Murder Isaac Fell, white[13]
Alfred King Black February 4, 1910 Nowata Murder-Robbery George Bird, black[14]
Alf Hunter Black April 8, 1910 Blaine Murder George Washington Garrison, 50, white (Oklahoma County sheriff)[15][16][a]
John Black Black April 15, 1910 Hughes Murder-Robbery J. P. Stephens, white[17][18]
Frank Henson Black March 31, 1911 Tulsa Murder Charles W. Stamper, white (deputy sheriff)[19] Lee Cruce
Henry Bookman Black 28 December 10, 1915 McIntosh Murder Richard Hardin, white[20] Robert L. Williams
Cecil Towery Black 22 November 6, 1916 McIntosh Murder-Robbery Charles Vaughn, white[21]
Chester Taylor Black 44 April 13, 1917 Creek Murder Millie Taylor, black (wife)[22]
Charley Young Black 26 Tillman Murder Male, white[22]
Willie Williams Black 35 Muskogee Murder Samuel Henry Neal, 39, white (policeman)[22]
John Prather Black 26 May 3, 1918 Pittsburg Murder Charles Chapman, black (cellmate)[23]
James Brown Black 34 November 8, 1918 Muskogee Murder Glenn Jacobs, white[24]
T. R. Braught White 29 May 23, 1919 Creek Murder Otis Robbin, white[25] Jack C. Walton
Monroe Betterton White 48 July 9, 1920 Craig Murder Elzadah Betterton, white (wife)[26]
John Ledbetter Native American 31 February 25, 1921 Muskogee Murder Robert Moreland, race unknown[27]
Robert Blakely White 39 Murder Effie May Allford, white[28]
Eli Thomas Black 22 July 15, 1921 LeFlore Murder Selma Mayfield, white[29]
Steve Sabo White 50 March 17, 1922 Coal Murder-Rape Sophia Sabo, 19, white (niece)[30]
Sam Watkins White 39 May 5, 1922 Atoka Murder-Rape Cora Jones, white[31]
Aaron Harvey White 21 January 13, 1924 McCurtain Murder Five people, white[32][b] Martin E. Trapp
Jack Pope White 45
Richard Birkes White 29 September 5, 1924 Craig Murder-Robbery Frank Pitts, white[33]
Leroy Scott Black 22 May 29, 1925 Pittsburg Murder Frank Daniels, white[34]
Johnnie Washington Black 29 December 4, 1925 Jackson Murder Male, white (peace officer)[35]
Theodore Bruster Black 21 June 29, 1928 Muskogee Murder-Robbery William Heeman, white[36] Henry S. Johnston
Walter Wigger White 31 Ottawa Murder Ruth Harris, white (girlfriend)[36]
Willie O'Neil Black 27 Oklahoma Murder-Robbery Mark Hipscher, white[36]
James Forrest Black 23 July 17, 1930 Stephens Rape Female, white[37] William J. Holloway
Tom Guest White 48 Pottawatomie Murder-Robbery Bailey Browder, white[37]
E. S. Hembree Native American 32 April 17, 1931 Stephens Rape Leota Bosley, 23, white[38] William H. Murray
Paul Cole White 33 July 10, 1931 Seminole Murder Ernest Irby, white[39]
Bennie Nichols Black 31 August 21, 1931 Pontotoc Murder-Robbery Jack Hornton, white[40]
Henry Lovett White 39 September 25, 1931 Canadian Murder-Robbery Dee Foliart, 28, white[41]
Martin Keeney White 49 March 11, 1932 Oklahoma Murder W. H. Folwell, 73, white
A. M. Harris White 49 June 17, 1932 Oklahoma Murder Ed Martin, 62, white
Ira J. Adler White 50 August 19, 1932 Blaine Murder Tom and Nora McDonald, white (brother- and sister-in-law)[42]
Charles Davis Black 42 Murder Guy M. Jarvis, 38, white (undersheriff)[42]
Ivory Covington Black 25 January 27, 1933 Choctaw Murder-Robbery Luther Williams, white
Nathan Rightsell White 27 February 24, 1933 Choctaw Murder Jason Victor Buchanan, white (officer)
Charles Lattimer White 29 March 24, 1933 Comanche Murder Female, white (wife)[43]
Proctor McDonald White 24 May 5, 1933 Creek Murder-Robbery Raymond Butler, 8, white[44]
Joe Martin White 54 Noble Murder Pete Von Uearop, white[44]
Albert Ellis White 25 Carter Robbery[c] John Weber and his family, white[44]
Luke Nichols White 44 May 19, 1933 Alfalfa Murder Harriet Crawford, 26, white (girlfriend)[45]
Claude Oliver White 28 August 23, 1933 Murray Murder Della Oliver, 15, white (George's wife)[46]
George Oliver White 18
Ted Patton White 25 October 20, 1933 Sequoyah Murder Robert Wall, 19, white[47]
Charley Dumas Black 29 Coal Rape Female, white[48]
William Johnson Black 28 November 10, 1933 Muskogee Murder Mary Wolfenberger, white[49]
Tom Morris Black 40 November 24, 1933 Pittsburg Murder Mr. and Mrs. Joe House, white[50]
Earl Quinn White 29 Garfield Murder-Rape Jessie Griffith, 24, white[51][d]
Frank Clark Black 60 October 19, 1934 McCurtain Murder Dan and Anna Stiles, white[52][53]
Ernest Oglesby White 27 January 4, 1935 Oklahoma Murder Douglas Gates, white (Oklahoma City policeman)[54]
Robert Cargo White 21 May 24, 1935 Oklahoma Murder-Robbery A. L. Luke, white[55] E. W. Marland
Alfred Rowan Black 30 September 20, 1935 Jackson Murder Roy Gentry, white[56]
Bun Riley White 29 Pittsburg Murder Three persons, white[57][56][e]
Chester Barrett White 37 Creek Murder Three of his children, white[58][56][f]
Roy Guyton Black 25 March 20, 1936 Oklahoma Murder E. L. Bailey, white[59]
James Hargus White 26 April 24, 1936 Tulsa Murder L. D. Mitchell, white (Tulsa policeman)[60]
Arthur Gooch White 27 June 19, 1936[g] N/A (Federal) Kidnapping[h] R. N. Baker and H. R. Marks, white (policemen)[61]
Leon Siler White 22 June 11, 1937 Comanche Murder J. E. Wilson, white (Grady County deputy sheriff)[62]
Charlie Sands Native American 21
Roy Mannon White 38 March 1, 1940 Wagoner Murder-Robbery Jake Skelly, 67, white[63] Leon C. Phillips
Roger Cunningham White 30 November 15, 1940 Oklahoma Murder Eudora Cunningham, white (wife)[64]
Warren Abby White 59 August 29, 1941 Custer Murder Julia Abby, 78, white (wife)[65]
J. D. Tuggle White 23 February 9, 1942 Garvin Murder-Robbery Mr. and Mrs. D. Wilburn Jones, white (uncle and aunt)[66]
Finley Porter Black 40 April 16, 1943 Pittsburg Murder L. Z. Beacham, black (cellmate)[67][i] Robert S. Kerr
Hiram Prather White 35 July 14, 1943 Pittsburg Murder Jess Dunn, white (warden)[68][j]
Amos Johnson Black 30 March 23, 1945 Lincoln Murder Victoria and Martha Gorski, 38 and 3, white
Clifford Norman Black 30 November 9, 1945 Murray Rape Female, white[69]
Alfred Bingham White 40 May 31, 1946 Tulsa Murder Mary Bingham, 30, white (wife)[70]
Mose Johnson Black 33 November 1, 1946 Pittsburg Murder L. C. Smalley, race unknown[71]
Harlan Broyles White 32 January 30, 1947 Seminole Murder Eric Nicholson, 35, white (deputy sheriff)[72] Roy J. Turner
Lewis Grayson Black 31 May 25, 1948 Muskogee Rape Female, white
Ben Gould Black 40 September 27, 1948 Atoka Murder-Rape-Robbery Mary Lynn, 57, white[73]
Max Kletke White 25 January 6, 1951 Oklahoma Murder Carl E. Beach, 45, white
Jearell Hathcox White 38 July 27, 1951 Oklahoma Murder Martin Lyle Shaffer, 67, white[74] Johnston Murray
Melburn Mott White 35 September 21, 1951 Tulsa Murder Mary Frances Mott, 6, white (daughter)[75]
Carl DeWolf White 37 November 17, 1953 Tulsa Murder Jerry St. Clair, 25, white (Tulsa policeman)[76]
Hurbie Fairris White 22 January 18, 1956 Oklahoma Murder Bennie F. Cravatt, white (detective)[77] Raymond D. Gary
Otto Loel White 44 January 11, 1957 Oklahoma Murder Elizabeth Jeanne Henderson, 31, white[78]
Robert Hendricks White 66 February 5, 1957 Craig Murder-Robbery Rheam Payton, 54, white[79]
Edward Williams White 30 July 28, 1960 Tulsa Kidnapping[k] Tommy Cooke, 24, white[80] J. Howard Edmondson
James Spence White 32 August 31, 1960 Cotton Murder Ruth Zimmerman, 19, white[81][82]
Ray Young White 34 December 15, 1960 Jackson Murder John Barter, white (highway patrolman)[83]
Shelby Doggett White 29 October 1, 1962 Comanche Murder-Robbery Jimmy Lee Lanman, 24, white[84]
Richard Dare White 30 June 1, 1963 Oklahoma Murder Ted Albert, 60, white[85][l] Henry Bellmon
James French White 30 August 10, 1966 Pittsburg Murder Eddie Shelton, white (cellmate)[86]

See also

Notes

References

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