William Kemmler

William Kemmler was the first convict executed by electrocution. He was convicted of murdering Matilda "Tillie" Ziegler, his common law wife.[1]

Kemmler was executed by electrocution at Auburn Prison, New York State, in 1890. By the end of the decade, 29 inmates had been executed by this means in the United States. Hanging was still the most usual method.

References
  1. Ruddick N. 1998. Life and death by electricity in 1890: the transfiguration of William Kemmler. Journal of American Culture. 21(4), 79.
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