Where was the last public hanging in the United States?

mike32768

"The last one was carried out in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1936 when Rainey Bethea was hanged after his conviction for the rape and murder of a 70-year-old woman" http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/apr/010430.execution.html May 17 07, 8:49 AM

Triviaballer

Bethea's execution was actually the last public execution in the U.S. under any method, not just hanging. As is probably well-known, the U.S. varies from state to state in its capital punishment procedures, but that's a whole other topic... May 17 07, 9:36 AM

zbeckabee

Rainey Bethea (October 16, 1909 – August 14, 1936) was the last person to be publicly executed in the United States. A black male, who was 26 years old, he confessed to the rape and murder of a 70-year-old white woman named Lischia Edwards, and was publicly hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky after being convicted of her rape. Mistakes in executing the hanging and the surrounding media circus contributed to the end of public executions in the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainey_Bethea#The_end_of_public_executions_in_the_United_States May 17 07, 10:31 AM

billiesbabieg

The last known person to be executed was not Rainy Bethea. He was however From Logan County West Virgina. Between the years of 1899 to 1959, At The West Virginia State Penitentiary is a retired, Gothic style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia ninety-four men were executed. Hanging was the method of execution until 1949 with eighty-five men meeting that fate. The public could attend hangings until 19 June 1931. On that date, Frank Hyer was executed for murdering his wife. However, when the trap door beneath him was opened and his full weight was put onto the noose, he was instantly decapitated. Following this event, attendance at hangings was by invitation only. The last man to face execution by hanging, was Bud Peterson from Logan County,Wets Virginia His Sentencing Date was: January 14, 1949 His Execution Date was: February 25, 1949 His body lies in the prison's cemetery, as his family refused to claim his body. Beginning in 1951, electrocution became the means of execution. Ironically, the electric chair, nicknamed "Old Sparky", used by the prison was originally built by an inmate there, Paul Glenn. Nine men died in the chair until the state outlawed execution entirely in 1965. The original chair is on display in the facility and is a part of the official tour. With that being said was again Rainy Bethea was NOT the last man to hang in the Us. Jan 03 11, 5:27 PM

HistoryBuff84

With all due respect to billiesbabieg, the last answer provided is incorrect. The question is, "Where was the last public hanging in the United States?" By "public" hanging, the question asks where the last execution took place in which the general public was permitted to attend. The answer has been fully developed in a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States#Location_of_executions:_public_versus_private Rainey Bethea was publicly hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, on August 14, 1936. Even with that clarification, the last (private) execution by hanging in the United States was not in West Virginia in 1949, as several private hangings have taken place since then. On January 25, 1996, Billy Bailey was hanged in Delaware, and presently remains the last person to have been (privately) executed by hanging in the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bailey So the correct answer to this question is: Owensboro, Kentucky. Sep 10 12, 8:01 AM