The List of people executed in Louisiana (pre-1972) is a reference compilation documenting every individual put to death by the U.S. state of Louisiana from the earliest recorded executions through the year 1972, the point at which the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Furman v. Georgia temporarily halted capital punishment nationwide.
Scope and organization
- The list spans the colonial period, the early Republic, and the modern era up to the 1972 moratorium.
- Entries are grouped chronologically by decade (e.g., 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, etc.) and, within each decade, presented in tabular form.
- For each execution the table records: the name of the condemned, race, age, sex, date of execution, parish of occurrence, crime committed, and the victim(s) when known.
Methods of execution
- Early executions were carried out by hanging; a number of executions during the War of 1812 were performed by firing squad.
- From the late 19th century onward, Louisiana employed electrocution as the primary method.
Historical context
- The compilation reflects the shifting legal and social attitudes toward capital punishment in Louisiana, including periods of intense use (e.g., numerous slave‑related executions in the early‑to‑mid‑19th century) and the eventual cessation of state‑sanctioned executions following the Furman decision.
- After the Supreme Court’s 1976 decision in Gregg v. Georgia, which reinstated the death penalty under revised statutes, a separate list records executions carried out from that point forward.
Reliability and sources
- The article draws on official state execution records, contemporary newspaper reports, and secondary historical works.
- Where details such as the name, race, or age of the condemned are unknown, the entry notes “Unknown” rather than speculating.
Purpose
- Serving as a historical reference, the list aids scholars, genealogists, and the general public in understanding the extent and nature of capital punishment in Louisiana prior to its temporary abolition in 1972.