Otis Singleton
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by a Buffalo, New York dentist named Alfred P. Southwick. It was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States. The most recent execution by electric chair was of Nicholas Todd Sutton on February 20, 2020, in Tennessee. However, the electric chair remains an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma if other execution methods are ruled unconstitutional at the time of execution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | February 20, 2020 |
| Location | Tennessee |
| Person Executed | Nicholas Todd Sutton |
| Alternative Option Available | Lethal injection |
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What You'll Learn
- The last person executed by electric chair without an alternative option was Lynda Lyon Block in 2002
- The most recent electric chair execution was Nicholas Todd Sutton in 2020
- Tennessee is the only state to have used the electric chair since 2013
- The electric chair was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging
- The electric chair has been deemed “cruel and unusual punishment in Nebraska and Georgia
The last person executed by electric chair without an alternative option was Lynda Lyon Block in 2002
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by New York dentist Alfred P. Southwick as a more humane alternative to hanging. The method was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States.
In the modern era, the electric chair has been largely replaced by lethal injection, which is perceived as a calmer and less violent alternative. However, in some states, death row inmates can still choose to be executed by electric chair if they believe lethal injection is inhumane. Tennessee, for example, has seen a number of inmates opt for electrocution over lethal injection, including Nicholas Todd Sutton, who was the most recent person to be executed by electric chair in 2020.
In Alabama, on May 10, 2002, Lynda Lyon Block became the last person to be executed by electric chair without the choice of an alternative method.
The electric chair remains an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma if other execution methods are ruled unconstitutional.
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The most recent electric chair execution was Nicholas Todd Sutton in 2020
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The person to be executed is strapped to a chair with belts across their chest, groin, legs, and arms. Electrodes are attached to their head and leg, and a jolt of electricity lasting about 30 seconds is administered, causing ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.
In the United States, the use of the electric chair has been on the decline since the 1990s, with many states adopting lethal injection as a more humane alternative. However, some states, including Mississippi and Oklahoma, still allow the use of the electric chair if other execution methods are ruled unconstitutional. Tennessee is another state that allows death row inmates to choose between lethal injection and the electric chair.
Prior to Sutton, the last person executed by electric chair without the choice of an alternative method was Lynda Lyon Block in 2002 in Alabama.
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Tennessee is the only state to have used the electric chair since 2013
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The method was conceived in 1881 and first used in 1890. It became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States.
In recent years, the use of the electric chair has declined in the United States, with the widespread adoption of lethal injection as a more humane alternative. Lethal injection is the default method of execution in all states that authorise the electric chair. However, lethal injection has been the subject of intense debate and legal challenges due to reports of "botched" executions and the refusal of commercial drug manufacturers to allow their drugs to be used in executions.
Inmates in Tennessee have the choice between lethal injection and electrocution. Several inmates have chosen the electric chair over lethal injection due to fears of feeling intense discomfort during the lethal injection process. The electric chair is considered a quicker method of execution in comparison.
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The electric chair was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging
The electric chair was conceived as a more humane alternative to hanging. In the late 1870s to early 1880s, the spread of arc lighting, a type of outdoor street lighting that used high voltages, led to stories in newspapers about how these high voltages were killing people, usually unwary linemen. One such accident, in Buffalo, New York, on August 7, 1881, led to the inception of the electric chair. A drunken dock worker named George Lemuel Smith sneaked into a power plant at night and grabbed a part of a large electric dynamo, dying instantly.
The electric chair was conceived by Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New York dentist. Southwick joined physician George E. Fell and the head of the Buffalo ASPCA in a series of experiments electrocuting stray dogs. They varied the electrode type and placement until they came up with a repeatable method to euthanize animals using electricity. Southwick went on to advocate for this method to be used as a more humane replacement for hanging in capital cases. He published his ideas in scientific journals in 1882 and 1883, gaining national attention.
In 1886, New York State governor David B. Hill set up a three-member death penalty commission to investigate a more humane means of execution. The commission included Southwick, human rights advocate Elbridge Thomas Gerry, and New York lawyer and politician Matthew Hale. They explored many forms of execution and in 1888 recommended electrocution using Southwick's electric-chair idea. With their advice, the first law allowing the use of electrocution went into effect in New York State on January 1, 1889. The electric chair became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States, with more and more states adopting it as a means of execution.
However, the use of the electric chair gradually declined in the 1990s due to the widespread adoption of lethal injection, which was perceived as more humane. In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled electric chair execution as "cruel and unusual punishment" under the state constitution, ending its use in Nebraska, the last state to rely solely on this method. While the electric chair remains an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma, inmate advocates and lawyers say that death row inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing electrocution because they fear the discomfort associated with lethal injection.
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The electric chair has been deemed “cruel and unusual punishment in Nebraska and Georgia
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The method was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging. The subject is strapped to a wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg.
Over time, the electric chair has been criticized for being a cruel and unusual form of punishment. This criticism stems from several instances where the subjects were killed only after being subjected to multiple electric shocks. One such case is that of Willie Francis, who survived the electric chair in 1946 when it was improperly set up by a prison guard and inmate. He was returned to the electric chair and executed in 1947.
In Florida, Pedro Medina's 1997 execution was botched when a crown of foot-high flames shot from the headpiece during the execution, filling the chamber with smoke and gagging the witnesses. In the same state in 1990, Jesse Joseph Tafero's face and head caught fire during his execution. In Virginia in 1990, blood spewed from Wilbert Lee Evans's face when he was electrocuted, and he continued to moan before a second jolt of electricity was applied.
Due to these concerns, Nebraska introduced new electrocution protocols in 2004 and 2007. However, these were not enough to alleviate the concerns, and on February 8, 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electric chair was "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the state constitution. This decision ended electric chair executions in Nebraska, the last state to rely solely on this method.
As of 2025, electrocution remains an option in some states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida, where inmates may choose lethal injection instead. Lethal injection has been increasingly adopted as a more humane alternative to the electric chair.
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Frequently asked questions
The last electric chair execution in the US was that of Nicholas Todd Sutton on February 20, 2020, in Tennessee.
Yes, he did. Sutton chose the electric chair because he thought it would be a quicker and less painful alternative to lethal injection.
Edmund Zagorski was executed by electric chair in Tennessee on November 1, 2018.
The last person to be executed by electric chair without the choice of an alternative method was Lynda Lyon Block on May 10, 2002, in Alabama.
Allen Davis was the last person to be executed by the electric chair in Florida, on July 8, 1999.
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