Irish Catholic immigrant convicted (along with his brothers) of the 1843 beating murder of prominent mill owner Amasa Sprague in Cranston, Rhode Island. His trial was widely criticized for anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bias. He was posthumously pardoned by Governor Lincoln Chafee in 2011.
Background
John Gordon (c. 1815โ1845) was the last person executed by the state of Rhode Island. He was hanged on February 14, 1845, at the state jail in Providence.
Sources & Verification
Convicted 1844 in Rhode Island of murder. Last execution in Rhode Island history (death penalty abolished 1852, briefly reinstated, permanently abolished 1984). Hanged February 14, 1845. Buried Old Saint Mary's Cemetery, Pawtucket. Find a Grave memorial 44786275: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44786275/john-gordon . Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gordon_(convict)
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