List of people executed in the United States in 1941

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One hundred and twenty-three people, one hundred and twenty-two male and one female, were executed in the United States in 1941, eighty-five by electrocution, twenty-three by gas chamber, and fifteen by hanging.[1]

List of people executed in the United States in 1941

[edit]
No. Date of execution Name Age of person Gender Ethnicity State Method Ref.
At execution At offense Age difference
1 January 3, 1941 Eddie Hayes 19 18 1 Male Black Georgia Electrocution [1]
2 Johnnie Watson 33 32
3 Columbus Richardson 28 26 2 Kentucky [2]
4 Wilburn Johnson 39 39 0 Missouri Gas chamber [3]
5 January 9, 1941 Major Greenfield 33 32 1 New York Electrocution [1]
6 January 10, 1941 Joe Coates 63 61 2 Colorado Gas chamber [4]
7 Wilson J. Knott 33 33 0 White Maryland Hanging [5]
8 January 14, 1941 Curnel T. Robinson 34 34 Black Delaware [6]
9 Anthony Cirasole 31 30 1 White Ohio Electrocution [7]
10 Joseph DiMarco 24 23
11 January 17, 1941 William Clark 18 16 2 Black Alabama [8]
12 January 24, 1941 John Mooney 27 27 0 Arkansas [1]
13 January 30, 1941 Arley Ovoyd Lewis 29 28 1 White Washington Hanging [9]
14 January 31, 1941 Dewitt Clinton Cook 22 20 2 California Gas chamber [10]
15 Josiah Woodward 21 21 0 Black South Carolina Electrocution [1]
16 February 6, 1941 Eugene Brown 26 24 2 New York [11]
17 Norman Williams 32 30
18 February 6, 1941 Hugh McClain Evans 22 22 0 White South Carolina [12]
19 Willis Evans 19 18 1
20 Hampton Lee 25 24
21 James Claude Hann 28 27
22 February 13, 1941 Arcangelo D'Agosto 27 26 New York [13]
23 Walter Dowling 21 20
24 George Dolny 23 22
25 February 20, 1941 David Adler 27 26 [14]
26 Hyman Balatnicov 28 27
27 Joseph Patrick Carosella 26 25
28 February 21, 1941 Ascension Martinez 37 30 7 Hispanic Texas [15]
29 Theodia Muldrow 19 18 1 Black [16]
30 February 25, 1941 William John Sevastis 55 54 White Ohio [17]
31 March 7, 1941 William Meharg 25 25 0 Louisiana Hanging [18]
32 Floyd Boyce 29 28 1
33 William Heard 43 42
34 William Landers 39 38
35 March 24, 1941 Denzel B. Davis 24 23 Washington [19]
36 March 31, 1941 Paul Petrillo 49 39 10 Pennsylvania Electrocution [20]
37 April 11, 1941 Will Hood 29 Unknown Unknown Black South Carolina [1]
38 April 15, 1941 Richard Smith 48 38 10 Florida [21]
39 April 18, 1941 Thomas Benjamin Smith 60 58 2 White California Gas chamber [22]
40 Dollie Lee Hudson 27 25 Black North Carolina [23]
41 Van Gilmore 31 30 1 Tennessee Electrocution [1]
42 April 20, 1941 George Griffin 26 25 Texas [24]
43 April 22, 1941 Leo Joseph Rousseau 30 29 1 White Massachusetts [25]
44 May 2, 1941 Sylvester Woodard 34 Unknown Unknown Black North Carolina Gas chamber [26]
45 May 12, 1941 William Bland 23 Unknown Unknown Georgia Electrocution [1]
46 May 15, 1941 A.C. Payton 41 Unknown Unknown Arkansas
47 James Grady White 38 37 1 White Mississippi [27]
48 May 16, 1941 Booker T. Childress Unknown Unknown Unknown Black [28]
49 May 23, 1941 Charlie Anderson 18 Unknown Unknown Georgia [1]
50 Willie Jenkins 23 19 4
51 Matthew Douglas 32 32 0 Mississippi [29]
52 James Shaw Unknown Unknown North Carolina Gas chamber [30]
53 June 5, 1941 Peter Salemi 33 32 1 White New York Electrocution [31]
54 June 6, 1941 Percy Lee Lewis 30 29 Black Arkansas [32]
55 Fleet Jack Wall 33 32 North Carolina Gas chamber [1]
56 Tommie Harris 20 19 Texas Electrocution [33]
57 June 12, 1941 Martin Goldstein 36 34 2 White New York [34]
58 Harry Strauss 31 30 1
59 June 13, 1941 Noah Cureton 51 50 Black North Carolina Gas chamber [35]
60 June 20, 1941 John Henry Riney 25 25 0 Arkansas Electrocution [36]
61 James Stephens 76 74 2 White Colorado Gas chamber [37]
62 Orville C. Watson 31 29 Illinois Electrocution [38]
63 Edward Riley 27 25
64 June 27, 1941 French Lee White 23 Unknown Unknown Black Maryland Hanging [39]
65 July 4, 1941 Grover Chism 48 47 1 White Kentucky Electrocution [40]
66 July 10, 1941 Stanley Cole 35 33 2 New York [41]
67 Dewey Garrett 21 20 1 Black
68 July 11, 1941 Julius Jackson 29 28 Alabama [42]
69 Wong Don Kay 57 56 Asian California Gas chamber [43]
70 Heyward Daniels 28 56 Unknown Black South Carolina Electrocution [1]
71 July 18, 1941 Walter Reed 55 55 0 Tennessee
72 July 24, 1941 Willie Lee Porter 21 20 1 [44]
73 Carl Leonard Cole 19 18
74 July 30, 1941 Lawrence West Unknown Unknown Unknown [1]
75 August 8, 1941 Frank Bass 22 Unknown Unknown Alabama [45]
76 Robert Jones 24 Unknown Unknown
77 August 15, 1941 Benjamin Heyward Unknown Unknown 16 South Carolina [46]
78 August 22, 1941 Hubert Yober Cash 40 39 1 White North Carolina Gas chamber [47]
79 August 24, 1941 Arlin Fairfax Reese 46 45 Texas Electrocution [48]
80 August 29, 1941 Eldon Richard Hawk 26 25 California Gas chamber [49]
81 John William Lininger 40 39
82 William Smiddy 37 36 Kentucky Electrocution [50]
83 Warren Lorenzo Abby 57 55 2 Oklahoma [51]
84 September 5, 1941 William L. Johansen 36 30 6 California Gas chamber [52]
85 Tom Melvin 42 40 2 Black North Carolina [53]
86 September 11, 1941 Eugene Johnson 22 Unknown Unknown Louisiana Electrocution [1]
87 September 18, 1941 George Zeitz 26 24 2 White New York [54]
88 September 19, 1941 Mariano Flores 54 Unknown Unknown Asian Hawaii Territory Hanging [1]
89 September 26, 1941 John E. Reed 42 41 1 White California Gas chamber [55]
90 Earl F. Loveless 22 21 Maryland Hanging [56]
91 James Lee Miller 30 29
92 Charlie Brown 26 Unknown Unknown Black Virginia Electrocution [1]
93 October 6, 1941 Wilburn R. Crews 37 33 4 White Florida [57]
94 Dan Jordan Ormond 51 47
95 Charles Henderson 34 30 Black
96 Frizell McLaren 31 3
97 October 10, 1941 Albert Alford 32 Unknown Unknown Georgia [1]
98 George Peele 21 20 1 North Carolina Gas chamber
99 October 11, 1941 John Washington 32 Unknown Unknown Arkansas Electrocution
100 October 20, 1941 Herman Petrillo 47 37 10 White Pennsylvania [58]
101 October 23, 1941 Austin Williams 30 Unknown Unknown Black Louisiana [59]
102 October 24, 1941 Anaclito Gagarin 37 35 2 Asian Hawaii Territory Hanging [60]
103 October 27, 1941 Paul H. Mardorff 50 48 White Florida Electrocution [61]
104 Mack Ranson 38 36 Black
105 William Joseph Earnest 36 35 1 White Pennsylvania [62]
106 October 30, 1941 James Harvey Thomas 19 19 0 Oregon Gas chamber [63]
107 November 12, 1941 Ivan Leon Sullivan 30 28 2 Iowa Hanging [64]
108 November 14, 1941 Milton L. Hawkins 25 23 Indiana Electrocution [65]
109 John Bruce Anderson 52 51 1 Washington Hanging [66]
110 November 21, 1941 Evelita Juanita Spinelli 50 2 Female California Gas chamber [67]
111 Roy Long 27 Unknown Unknown Male Black South Carolina Electrocution [1]
112 November 24, 1941 Harold B. Frisbie 34 33 1 White Pennsylvania [68]
113 Willie Jones Unknown Unknown Black
114 November 28, 1941 Gordon Hawkins 23 21 2 White California Gas chamber [69]
115 Mike Simeone 32 31 1
116 December 2, 1941 William Zupkosky New Jersey Electrocution [70]
117 December 12, 1941 Luther Morrow 26 26 0 Black North Carolina Gas chamber [71]
118 December 19, 1941 James Baker 38 38 Maryland Hanging [72]
119 Thomas Williams 37 37 Ohio Electrocution [73]
120 December 28, 1941 Albert Wesley Jr. 19 18 1 Texas [74]
121 December 29, 1941 Willie B. Clay 15 4 Florida [75]
122 Edward Powell 18 3
123 Nathaniel Walker 14 4

Demographics

[edit]
Gender
Male 122 99%
Female 1 1%
Ethnicity
Black 61 50%
White 58 47%
Asian 3 2%
Hispanic 1 1%
State
New York 15 12%
California 10 8%
Florida 10 8%
North Carolina 9 7%
South Carolina 9 7%
Georgia 6 5%
Louisiana 6 5%
Texas 6 5%
Arkansas 5 4%
Maryland 5 4%
Pennsylvania 5 4%
Tennessee 5 4%
Alabama 4 3%
Ohio 4 3%
Kentucky 3 2%
Mississippi 3 2%
Washington 3 2%
Colorado 2 2%
Hawaii Territory 2 2%
Illinois 2 2%
Delaware 1 1%
Indiana 1 1%
Iowa 1 1%
Massachusetts 1 1%
Missouri 1 1%
New Jersey 1 1%
Oklahoma 1 1%
Oregon 1 1%
Virginia 1 1%
Method
Electrocution 85 69%
Gas chamber 23 19%
Hanging 15 12%
Month
January 15 12%
February 15 12%
March 6 5%
April 7 6%
May 9 7%
June 12 10%
July 10 8%
August 9 7%
September 9 7%
October 14 11%
November 9 7%
December 8 7%
Age
Unknown 5 4%
10–19 11 9%
20–29 44 36%
30–39 39 32%
40–49 11 9%
50–59 10 8%
60–69 2 2%
70–79 1 1%
Total 123 100%

Executions in recent years

[edit]
Number of executions
1942 147
1941 123
1940 124
Total 394

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  2. ^ "Smoky Richardson Dies In State Chair". Kentucky New Era. January 3, 1941. p. 3.
  3. ^ "Negro Dies in Prison Gas Tank". Jefferson City Post-Tribune via newspapers.com. January 3, 1941. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Hometown Headlines". St. Petersburg Times. January 13, 1941. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Hanged for Assault". Toledo Blade. January 10, 1941. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Man Hangs in Delaware for Assaulting Girl". The Afro-American. January 25, 1941. p. 5.
  7. ^ "Calm Killers Go to Ohio's Chair". Ellensburg Daily Record. January 15, 1941. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Negro Rapist Will Die In Kilby Prison". The Tuscaloosa News. January 16, 1941. p. 2.
  9. ^ "Missourian Pays Penalty for Murder". Spokane Chronicle via newspapers.com. January 30, 1941. p. 14.
  10. ^ "Youthful Killer to Be Executed in California Today". The Owosso Argus-Press. January 31, 1941. p. 2.
  11. ^ "2 Go to Chair at Sing Sing". The New York Times. February 7, 1941.
  12. ^ "Three Electrocuted". Kentucky New Era. February 7, 1941. p. 2.
  13. ^ "3 Electrocuted For Garage Holdup-Slaying". Schenectady Gazette. February 14, 1941. p. 26.
  14. ^ "3 DIE, ONE GETS STAY i IN HOLD-UP MURDERS; Lehman Gives 60-Day Reprieve to Witness in Case Here". The New York Times. February 21, 1941.
  15. ^ "Mexican Is Executed With Prayer on Lips". The Victoria Advocate. February 21, 1941. p. 2.
  16. ^ "Valley Man is Executed". Valley Morning Star via newspapers.com. February 21, 1941. p. 1.
  17. ^ "Governor Last Hope of Men in Triple Slaying". The Portsmouth Times. February 25, 1941. p. 7.
  18. ^ "Condemned Men's Words On Air As They Pay Penalty". Ellensburg Daily Record. March 7, 1941. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Ice-Pick Slayer Dies on Gallows". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 24, 1941. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Poison Killer Dies in 'Chair'". The Pittsburgh Press. March 31, 1941. p. 19.
  21. ^ "Court Refuses to Stay Death for 2 Killers". The Pittsburgh Press. April 13, 1941. p. 6.
  22. ^ "People v. Smith". Stanford Law School.
  23. ^ "State v. Hudson". vLex.
  24. ^ "Negro Dies in Chair". The Spokesman-Review. April 21, 1941. p. 15.
  25. ^ "Leo Rousseau Dies in Electric Chair". Lewiston Evening Journal. April 22, 1941. p. 4.
  26. ^ "State v. Woodard". CaseMine.
  27. ^ "Portable Chair Gets First White Victim". The Tuscaloosa News. May 15, 1941. p. 1.
  28. ^ "Negro Executed". The Evening Independent. May 16, 1941. p. 15.
  29. ^ "Death Penalty for Assailant". Hattiesburg American via newspapers.com. April 11, 1941. p. 9.
  30. ^ "N.C. Prisoner Given Reprieve to Aid State". The Afro-American. May 31, 1941. p. 47.
  31. ^ "Brooklyn Slayer Goes to Chair". The New York Times. June 6, 1941.
  32. ^ "Negro Electrocuted". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. June 6, 1941. p. 10.
  33. ^ "Electrocuted in Texas". Youngstown Vindicator. June 6, 1941. p. 7.
  34. ^ "2 IN MURDER RING ARE PUT TO DEATH; Pittsburgh Phil Strauss and Buggsy Goldstein Go to Chair for Brooklyn Slaying". The New York Times. June 13, 1941.
  35. ^ "Doomed Man Sleeps Until Time to Walk Last Mile". The Afro-American. June 21, 1941. p. 2.
  36. ^ "Negro Rapist Dies In Electric Chair". The Evening Independent. June 20, 1941. p. 13.
  37. ^ "Oldest Man Executed In Colorado". San Jose News. June 21, 1941. p. 2.
  38. ^ "2 Men Electrocuted For Killing Bystander". Reading Eagle. June 20, 1941. p. 4.
  39. ^ "Bethesda Attacker to Be Hanged June 27". The Afro-American. June 21, 1941. p. 8.
  40. ^ "Chism v. Commonwealth". CaseMine.
  41. ^ "Two Put to Death In Sing Sing Prison". The Pittsburgh Press. July 11, 1941. p. 11.
  42. ^ "State Officers On Duty As Negro Goes On Trial". The Pittsburgh Press. February 24, 1941. p. 11.
  43. ^ "Chinese Killer Of Two Gassed". San Jose Evening News. July 11, 1941. p. 28.
  44. ^ "Negroes Die For Slaying". Kentucky New Era. July 24, 1941. p. 2.
  45. ^ "Negro Is First To Die For Night Burglary". The Tuscaloosa News. August 8, 1941. p. 2.
  46. ^ "Beaufort Slayer Dies in Chair". Herald-Journal. August 16, 1941. p. 1.
  47. ^ "Durham Man Is Put Under Gas". The Robesonian. August 22, 1941. p. 1.
  48. ^ "Reese v. State". vLex.
  49. ^ "Murderer Eagerly Goes To His 'Beautiful' Life". The Pittsburgh Press. August 29, 1941. p. 1.
  50. ^ "Slayer Calmly Goes To Chair At Eddyville". Kentucky New Era. August 29, 1941. p. 3.
  51. ^ "Louisiana Farmer Executed in Chair". The Victoria Advocate. August 29, 1941. p. 2.
  52. ^ "Murderer of Women is Put to Death". San Jose News. September 5, 1941. p. 7.
  53. ^ "Goldsboro Negro Dies In Chamber". The Robesonian via newspapers.com. September 5, 1941. p. 6.
  54. ^ "Brooklyn Killer Goes to Chair". The New York Times. September 19, 1941.
  55. ^ "People v. Reed". Stanford Law School.
  56. ^ "Funeral For Executed Man At Hagerstown Today". Cumberland Evening Times via newspapers.com. October 4, 1941. p. 7.
  57. ^ "Four Men Die in Chair; Executioner Is Hooded". St. Petersburg Times. October 7, 1941. p. 5.
  58. ^ "Herman Petrillo Dies In Chair Pleading For Mercy". Gettysburg Times. October 20, 1941. p. 3.
  59. ^ "Negro Executed". The Town Talk via newspapers.com. October 24, 1941. p. 13.
  60. ^ "Territory of Hawaii v. Gagarin". CourtListener.
  61. ^ "Two Are Executed In Florida Chair". The Evening Independent. October 27, 1941. p. 1.
  62. ^ "Slayer Executed in Pennsylvania". Herald-Journal. October 27, 1941. p. 1.
  63. ^ "Thomas Will Die in Gas Chamber". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 29, 1941. p. 6.
  64. ^ "Slayed Guard; Hanged". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 12, 1941. p. 20.
  65. ^ "Young Slayer Dies in Chair". Warsaw Daily Union. November 15, 1941. p. 5.
  66. ^ "Henhouse Slayer Pays With Life In Prison Noose". Ellensburg Daily Record. November 14, 1941. p. 1.
  67. ^ "WOMAN EXECUTED IN GAS CHAMBER; Gang-Leading Grandmother, 52, First of Sex Legally Put to Death in California". The New York Times. November 22, 1941.
  68. ^ "4 Condemned Men Appeal". Gettysburg Times. September 12, 1941. p. 4.
  69. ^ "Two Gangsters to Die Today". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 28, 1941. p. 18.
  70. ^ "Slayer Goes to Chair Today in New Jersey". Schenectady Gazette. December 2, 1941. p. 5.
  71. ^ "N.C. Wife-Killer Dreams of Angels at Execution". The Afro-American. December 20, 1941. p. 24.
  72. ^ "Slayer Goes to Gallows Calmly". The Afro-American. December 27, 1941. p. 11.
  73. ^ "Williams Is Executed For 2 Ohio Killings". Youngstown Vindicator. December 20, 1941. p. 5.
  74. ^ "Wesley v. State". vLex.
  75. ^ "Three Negroes Are Executed". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 29, 1941. p. 5.
Preceded by
1940 		   List of people executed   
   in the United States in   
1941 		Succeeded by
1942