List of executioners

This is a list of people who have acted as official executioners.

Monsieur d'Alger: The Executioners of the French Republic
In 1870 the Republic of France abolished all local executioners and named the executioner of Algiers, Antoine Rasseneux, Éxécuteur des Arrêts Criminels en Algérie, which became France's official description of the executioner of Algeria's occupation. From then on there would be one only executioner to carry out death sentences for all of Algeria. Since the colony's executioner was required to live in Algiers, people soon started to refer to him as "Le Monsieur d'Alger" ("The Man From Algiers"). Upon his nomination, Rasseneux was permitted to choose four among France's and Algeria's former local executioners to be his aides.

Brazil
After 1808, during the Portuguese-Brazilian Kingdom (1808–1822) and the Empire (1822–1889), when Brazil's States were still called "Provinces" and the currency was called "Reis", Brazil had factually abolished torture but was a busy death penalty country.

Method of execution was public hanging by an ultra-short drop of approximately 90 cm (2' 9 11/2"), with the executioner, after having activated the trap door or pushed the convict, according to the gallows's structure, climbed a ladder and launched himself rope downwards, hitting on the convict's shoulders with his weight.

Executioners generally were selected among convicts of capital crimes who had their death sentences stayed for indefinite terms or even commuted for life without parole, and who in exchange for their stays or commutations had to carry out the executions ordered by law. Executioners were, whenever possible, selected from among slaves convicted for a capital crime. And except for the province of Rio Grande do Norte, executioners had obligatorily to be of African descent.

As stayed or commuted convicts, executioners consequently lived as inmates in the prisons of the respective towns where they were based. When an execution was to be carried out elsewhere in his area, the executioner would be transported to the place of execution in chains and sleep in the local prison; after an attempt of murder against Fortunato José in 1834, prisons started separating the executioners from other inmates.

In the province of Rio Grande do Norte, the executioner had always to be the convict scheduled to die next after an execution, so that province's last execution had to be carried out by a firing squad, after the necessary emergency change of execution protocol.

In the state of Rio de Janeiro, after Independence September 7, 1822 there were also free executioners of African descent who having to travel around, were reached by couriers with execution orders.

Executioners, also when slaves, were paid for their executions; at the example of the province of Minas Gerais, we can establish payment was between 4$000 and 12$000 (4 Mil-Reis to 12 Mil-Reis) per execution.

The last execution of a free convict in Brazil was that of José Pereira de Sousa October 30, 1861 in Santa Luzia (nowadays Luziânia), GO. The last execution at all under law in Brazil was that of the slave Francisco April 28, 1876 in Pilar, AL.

Brazil abolished capital punishment officially with the Proclamation of the Republic November 15, 1889, and by law with its first Republican Constitution of 1891 and Penal Code of September 22, 1892.

Bernardswiller
see: Andlau

Bouquenom
see: Sarre-Union

Elsenheim
see: Ohnenheim

Erstein
see: Epfig

Fleckenstein (Lembach)
see: Memmelshoffen

Gumbrechtshoffen
see: Gundershoffen

Otterswiller
see: Saverne

Petersbach
see: La Petite-Pierre

Reichshoffen
see: Gundershoffen

Riedheim
see: Bouxwiller

Schopperten
see: Sarre-Union

Westhoffen
see: Wasselonne

Morschwiller-le-Bas
see: Mulhouse

Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
see: Ribeauvillé

Vieux-Thann
see: Thann

Bellême
Mortagne-au-Perche

L'Île-Bouchard
see: Chinon

Corse
With a four-year delay in 1875 also Corsica was integrated into the area of the executioner of the republic's activity; see: Monsieur de Paris For the different department numbers, before 1976 Corsica used to be one department only and was codenumbered with 20 by then.

Meulan
see: Mantes

Dourdan
see: Étampes

La Ferté-Alais
see: Étampes

Hauts-de-Seine 92
No local executioner known so far

Seine-Saint-Denis (93)
No local executioner known so far

Val-de-Marne (94)
No local executioner known so far

Deneuvre
see: Baccarat

Domjevin
see: Bauzemont

Haraucourt
see: Einville-au-Jard

Harbouey
see: Blâmont

Nomény
see: Pont-à-Mousson

Réchicourt-la-Petite
see: Blâmont

Saint-Clément
see: Baccarat

Thézey-Saint-Martin
see: Delme at Moselle (57)

Thiaucourt (Thiaucourt-Regniéville)
see: Pont-à-Mousson

Ville-sur-Yron
see: Conflans-en-Jarnisy

Arrancy-sur-Crusne
see: Longuyon at Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)

Ay-sur-Moselle
see: Buding

Bambiderstroff
see: Courcelles-sur-Nied

Beux
see: Béchy

Bitche
see: Schorbach

Budling
see: Buding

Château-Voué
see: Dieuze

Ébersviller
see: Hombourg-Budange

Elzange
see: Rodemack

Fénétrange
see: Niederstinzel

Clermont
(former Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, also called Clermont-en-France)

Monsieur de Paris: The Executioners of the French Republic
In 1870 the Republic of France abolished all local executioners and named the executioner of Paris, Jean-François Heidenreich, Exécuteur des Arrêts Criminels, which became France's official description of the executioner's occupation. From then on there would be only one executioner to carry out death sentences for all of France except Corsica which would follow in 1875. As the Republic's executioner was required to live in Paris, people soon started to refer to him as "Monsieur de Paris", "The Mister from Paris". At the occasion of his nomination, Heidenreich could choose four among France's former local executioners to be his aides.

Monsieur de Cayenne: The Executioners of the French Republic
Cayenne Central Prison never used its own guillotine. All death sentences of convicts and locally condemned prisoners were conducted at Saint-Laurent.

Monsieur de Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni|Saint-Laurent: The Executioners of the Bagne
All executioners of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni were Bagne inmates themselves.

Wittstock
Hans ? 1537

West Germany (1949 to 1951/53)
Except for Western Berlin where the Allied did not validate the new German constitution, West Germany had abolished capital punishment May 23, 1949. For West Berlin, the death penalty would still continue in law until January 20, 1951. Despite at least one executioner continued nominated, no death sentences or executions ordered by German courts in that period have been reported so far.

Hungary
Until 1868 most of executors employed by one-one bigger cities(who possessed the "pallosjog " [right for execution] e. c. Buda) or travellers(gypsied) did this as temporary job(until the 18th century). Emperor Joseph II introduced a law reform. The separate legislatures of the cities will be abolished, as will the patrimonial tribunal and the "pallos jog" of the estates. Before that, bakó(executioner) belonged to the status of the county, the city, the larger estate, now five executioners will be enough throughout Hungary. Later he abolished even the capital punishment(except in the military cases)but in 1795 Emperor Franz I. reintroduced.

* Schüch Pál executioner of Pest

The list of state executioners
 * Kornberger, Mihály executioner (1850?–1867)[He was executioner of Buda but later became a non official executioner of the whole country in criminal but not political cases]
 * Kozarek, Ferenc state executioner( 1876–1894)
 * Bali, Mihály state executioner (1894–1925)
 * Gold, Károly state executioner (1925–1928)
 * Kozarek, Antal state executioner (1929–1932)
 * Id.(Senior) Bogár(Kovács), János state executioner (1932–1944)
 * Ifj. (Junior) Bogár, János state executioner (1944–1965?) (He executed: before 1945: some political prisoners, after 1945: Ferenc Szálasi, László Rajk, Imre Nagy and all death sentenced people between this time).
 * Pradlik, György the last state executioner (–1988)

Mullick family, Culcutta

 * Shivlal Mullick (West Bengal)
 * Nata Mullick (son of Shivlal Mullick) (hanged Dhananjoy Chatterjee in 2004) (West Bengal)
 * Mahadeb Mullick (son of Nata Mullick) (West Bengal) (nominated, but not confirmed if he actually ever took the "job")
 * Prabhat Mullick (grandson of Nata Mullik) (West Bengal)

Lakshman Ram family, Meerut
(son of Mammu Singh) (Meerut)
 * Lakshman Ram Majeera (hanged Bhagat Singh)
 * Mammu Singh (son of LakshmanRam Majeera) (Meerut, Uttar Pradesh)(last hanged Kanta Prasad Tiwari of Jabalpur(Madhya Pradesh) in year 1997)
 * Kalu Ram (hanged one of the two Indira Gandhi murder convicts)
 * Pawan Kumar (hanged the Nirbhaya rapists in 2020) (2011 -till date )


 * Babu Ahmad (West Bengal)

Others

 * Arjun Bhika Jadhav (Maharashtra)
 * Janardhan Pillai (Kerala)
 * Pooja Raj (Delhi)
 * "Jallad" Ahmadullah Khan (Uttar Pradesh) 1965-
 * Balkrishna Rao Valekar (Madhya Pradesh) (Hanged Shivanand Tiwari, who accused murder of his wife and sons)

Ireland
Ireland consisted of the Kingdom of Ireland between 1534 and 1800; it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1922; after that it was Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State; from 1937 the southern part was the Republic of Ireland.
 * William Marwood
 * James O'Sullivan
 * Albert Pierrepoint
 * Elizabeth Sugrue

Monsieur de la Bagne: The Executioners of the Bagne
All executioners of New Caledonia's Bagne were inmates themselves.

Pakistan
In Pakistan, executioners have obligatorily to be Christians.

United States
John C. Woods (1911–1950). Hangman for the Third Army in WWII. He was one of the hangmen who executed Nazi war criminals.

Joseph Malta (1918–1999) was the hangman who, with John C. Woods, executed the top 10 leaders of the Third Reich in Nuremberg on October 16, 1946, for crimes against humanity.

Arkansas
During the first part of the 20th century, operators of the electric chair were known as "State electricians".

Before Statehood

 * Sheriff John Ludlow on November 15, 1792 (today's Hamilton County)

Adams County

 * Sheriff John Ellison, Jr. on December 10, 1808

Cuyahoga County

 * Sheriff Samuel S. Baldwin and Deputy Sheriff & Coroner Levi Johnson on June 26, 1812
 * Sheriff Miller S. Spangler on June 1, 1855
 * Sheriff Felix Nicola on February 9 and 10, 1866 and August 10, 1866
 * Sheriff John Frazee on February 4 or 13, 1869 and April 25, 1872
 * Sheriff Pardon B. Smith on April 29, 1874
 * Sheriff A. P. Winslow on June 22, 1876
 * Sheriff John Wilcox on February 13, 1879

Fairfield County

 * Sheriff Daniel Kishler and Coroner John Heck on October 14, 1836

Franklin County

 * Sheriff William Domigan and Coroner A. W. Reader on February 9, 1844 (a double execution, including the first reported execution of a woman in Ohio's history)
 * Sheriff Silas W. Park and Coroner Elias Gaver on December 17, 1858

Gallia County

 * Sheriff Samuel Holcomb on September 9, 1817

Ross County

 * Sheriff Jeremiah McLene and Coroner Benjamin Urmston on August 3, 1804

Portage County

 * Sheriff Asa Burroughs on November 30, 1816

State Executioners with the Gallows

 * Warden Isaac Peetry between 1885 and 1886, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden E.G. Coffin between 1886 and 1890, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden B.F. Dyer between 1890 and 1892, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden C.C. James between 1892 and 1896, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden E.G. Coffin between 1896 and 1897, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences

State Executioners with the Electric Chair

 * Warden E.G. Coffin between 1897 and 1900, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden W.N. Darby between 1900 and 1903, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden E. A. Hershey between 1903 and 1904, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden O.B. Gould between 1904 and 1909, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden T.H.B. Jones between 1909 and 1913, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden D.E. Thomas between 1913 and 1935, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden J.C. Woodard between 1935 and 1939, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden F.D. Henderson between 1939 and 1948, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden R.W. Alvis between 1948 and 1959, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden B.C. Sacks between 1959 and 1961, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences
 * Warden E.L. Maxwell between 1961 and 1963, required by state law to be the executioner of death sentences

Oklahoma

 * S.C. Treadwell and Mack Treadwell between 1909 and 1919
 * Rich Owens between 1918 and 1947
 * Mike Mayfield, corrections officer between 1962 and 1966

Pennsylvania

 * Zoe Himes in 1911 (a secretary of Clarion County, PA, Court House, she reportedly executed Vincent Voycheck on June 1, 1911)
 * Frank Wilson electrical industry superintendent from Pittsburgh area who served as executioner between 1939 and 1953 at Rockview Prison.

South Carolina
Tench Boozer (1911–1918)

Texas

 * Joe Byrd – Captain of the guard at the Walls Unit who served as executioner between 1936 and 1964. The nearby prison cemetery, where unclaimed remains of executed inmates are buried by the state, is named in his honor.
 * W. James "Jim" Estelle – Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) between 1972 and 1983. Was designated executioner under policy developed by the TDCJ in 1976. Was the individual pushing the drugs into the IV lines at the December 1982 execution of Charlie Brooks, the first inmate in the United States to be executed by lethal injection.