Trystan Casey
The electric chair has been used as a method of execution in the United States and the Philippines. It was initially believed that death by electric chair occurred due to cerebral damage, but it was later discovered that death is caused by ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. While the use of the electric chair has declined, it is still an option in some states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida. Throughout history, there have been several instances of people surviving the electric chair, the most notable being Willie Francis, a teenager who survived due to a drunken executioner's mistake but was later executed in 1947.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | May 3, 1946 |
| Survivor | Willie Francis |
| Age | 16 |
| Location | Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola |
| Reason for Survival | Improper setup by intoxicated prison staff |
| Date of Execution | May 9, 1947 |
| Other Survivors | Pedro Medina, Allen Lee Davis, Doyle Lee Hamm, Alva Campbell |
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What You'll Learn
Willie Francis: the teenager who survived the electric chair
In 1945, 16-year-old Willie Francis was sentenced to death by the state of Louisiana for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner. Thomas, who had once employed Francis, was shot dead in August 1944, and his murder went unsolved for nine months. Upon his arrest, the police claimed that Francis was carrying Thomas's wallet, although no evidence of this was presented at the trial. Francis named several others in connection with the murder, but these leads were dismissed. He confessed to the murder in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Just two days into the trial, Francis was convicted of murdering Thomas and sentenced to death by the electric chair.
On May 3, 1946, Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. Witnesses reported hearing the teenager scream from behind the leather hood, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!". The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. After the botched execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc decided to take Francis's case, arguing that it was unjust and constituted cruel and unusual punishment to subject him to the execution process a second time.
The US Supreme Court rejected the appeal, and Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947. He was pronounced dead at 12:10 pm (Central Time). Ernest Gaines' 1993 novel, 'A Lesson Before Dying', telling the story of a young black man facing execution in 1940s Louisiana, was partly based on the Willie Francis case.
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The electric chair's decline
The electric chair was once a common method of execution in the United States, but its use has declined significantly in recent decades. The first known case of someone surviving the electric chair occurred on May 3, 1946, when 16-year-old Willie Francis survived an execution attempt in Louisiana due to a drunken executioner's mistake. This incident brought attention to the potential for cruel and unusual punishment associated with the electric chair.
The electric chair was initially believed to cause death through cerebral damage, but it was later discovered that death primarily occurs from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. Despite this understanding, the electric chair has been increasingly viewed as a cruel and unusual form of punishment. In 1997, during the electrocution of Pedro Medina in Florida, a crown of foot-high flames shot from the headpiece, filling the execution chamber with smoke and the smell of burning flesh. Prison officials blamed the fire on a corroded copper screen, but experts later concluded that it was caused by the improper application of a sponge designed to conduct electricity.
The decline of the electric chair can be attributed to several factors, including the advent of lethal injection, which is now the default method in most U.S. jurisdictions authorizing capital punishment. Lethal injection is perceived as a more humane method of execution, and the electric chair is now considered a relic of the past. As of 2024, only a few states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee, still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution.
However, even in these states, the electric chair is often a secondary option, chosen by the condemned person over lethal injection. Additionally, botched executions, such as those of Allen Lee Davis in Florida in 1999 and Doyle Lee Hamm in Alabama in 2018, have further eroded support for the electric chair. In Davis' case, he bled profusely during the execution, and in Hamm's case, the execution was called off after unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous line due to his medical conditions.
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War of the currents
The War of the Currents was a conflict between three brilliant inventors—Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—over whose electrical system would become the standard. Edison, already a household name due to his inventions like the phonograph and the first practical lightbulb, championed the direct-current (DC) system, where the electrical current flows steadily in one direction. On the other hand, Tesla and Westinghouse promoted the alternating-current (AC) system, where the current's flow constantly alternates.
The battle between these inventors and industrialists was to lead the technological revolution that would power humanity into the 20th century and beyond. Edison's DC system had certain limitations, as it could not travel long distances, and would thus require a large coal-operated generating plant every mile or two. However, he tried to prove that AC was more dangerous by publicly killing animals with the current, with technical assistance from Edison Electric. Edison even recommended AC for the newly introduced electric chair, seeing an opportunity to discredit Westinghouse. He teamed up with Harold Brown, an electricity salesman, who designed the first electric chair, powered by a Westinghouse AC generator.
In 1890, convicted murderer William Kemmler became the first person to be executed by the electric chair. The execution was botched, with Kemmler screaming and struggling for air, and his coat catching fire. Despite this, Westinghouse was unable to prevent AC from becoming the industry standard. In 1893, Westinghouse won the contract to light the Chicago World's Fair, showcaseing Tesla's AC system. Westinghouse also received the contract to construct AC generators at Niagara Falls, and in 1896, the first hydroelectric power plant there started delivering electricity to Buffalo, New York, 26 miles away. These achievements marked the unofficial end to the War of the Currents, with AC becoming dominant in the electric power industry.
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Botched executions
The electric chair was initially thought to cause death through cerebral damage, but it was scientifically established in 1899 that death primarily occurs from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. Despite its historical significance in American capital punishment, electric chair use has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, which is perceived as more humane.
However, there have been several botched executions by electrocution. A "botched" execution refers to those involving unanticipated problems or delays that cause unnecessary agony for the prisoner or reflect gross incompetence on the part of the executioner. Here are some notable examples:
Willie Francis (1946)
Willie Francis, a 16-year-old African American teenager, became the first person known to have survived the electric chair in Louisiana's State Penitentiary in 1946. The portable electric chair, nicknamed "Gruesome Gertie," was improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate, resulting in a painful shock that failed to kill Francis. Witnesses reported hearing him scream, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!" from behind his leather hood. After the botched execution, Francis's case was taken to the US Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected, and he was executed again in 1947.
John Spenkelink (1979)
John Spenkelink became the first person to be electrocuted in the United States since 1966. His execution was the first in Florida's new electric chair, designed to accommodate his size (approximately 350 pounds). The execution was described as a "barbaric spectacle" by Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander Shaw, who stated that the photos depicted a man who appeared to have been "brutally tortured to death."
Jesse Joseph Tafero (1990)
During the execution of Jesse Joseph Tafero in Florida, six-inch flames erupted from his head, and three jolts of power were required to stop his breathing. State officials attributed the botched execution to "inadvertent human error," specifically the inappropriate substitution of a synthetic sponge for a natural sponge used in previous executions.
Frank J. Coppola (1982)
Frank J. Coppola's execution in Virginia was the first botched execution in the state and the first after 1976. It took two 55-second jolts of electricity to kill Coppola, and witnesses reported seeing fire emitting from the electrode attached to his leg.
These cases highlight the potential for botched executions when using the electric chair as a method of capital punishment.
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Inhumane punishment
The electric chair has been used as a method of execution in the United States and the Philippines. It was initially believed that death was caused by cerebral damage, but it was later discovered that death occurs due to ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. Despite its historical use, the electric chair has become less common since the introduction of lethal injection, which is now considered more humane in most US jurisdictions. However, some states still offer the electric chair as an option for execution or in specific circumstances.
The idea that the electric chair induces instantaneous unconsciousness has been challenged, and there are accounts of individuals surviving the electric chair, at least temporarily. One notable case is that of Willie Francis, who survived an execution attempt in 1946 due to improper setup of the electric chair by intoxicated prison staff. Witnesses reported hearing Francis scream in pain during the procedure. Despite appeals, Francis was subjected to the electric chair again in 1947 and died.
Another example is Doyle Lee Hamm, an Alabama death-row prisoner whose botched execution attempt in 2018 was called off after 2.5 hours of unsuccessful attempts to set an intravenous execution line. Hamm had pre-existing medical conditions, including cancer and hepatitis C, which made it challenging to establish an intravenous line.
These cases highlight the potential for inhumane treatment and cruel and unusual punishment associated with the electric chair. In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electric chair constituted "cruel and unusual punishment" under the state constitution, marking a significant shift away from this method of execution.
The use of the electric chair has been declining, and it is now primarily reserved as a secondary option in specific states or when other execution methods are deemed unconstitutional. However, the fact that individuals can survive the initial execution attempt and the potential for extreme pain and suffering have led to debates and legal challenges regarding the inhumane nature of this punishment.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Willie Francis was the first person known to have survived the electric chair in 1946. The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate.
Willie Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair and his case was taken to the US Supreme Court to try and get his death penalty overturned. Unfortunately, his case failed, and he was executed by the electric chair in 1947.
There is no information on what happened to the intoxicated prison guard and inmate. However, the sheriff, E.L. Resweber, was quoted as saying, "This boy really got a shock when they turned that machine on."
There are a few cases of botched executions where the inmate survived the electric chair. For example, in 1991, Derick Lynn Peterson survived the first cycle of electricity and a second cycle was administered after a prison physician declared, "He has not expired."
