Capital punishment in Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Capital punishment in Wisconsin was abolished in 1853. Wisconsin
was one of the earliest United States states to abolish the death penalty, and, along with Michigan
, one of only two states that has performed only one execution in its history.
Since its admission to the Union in 1848, as the 30th State, the only execution carried out in Wisconsin was that of immigrant farmer John McCaffary
, who was hanged
on August 21, 1851 in Kenosha County
for drowning his wife.
Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853, just two years after McCaffary's execution (in part due to the public revulsion at the spectacle which McCaffary's execution became), becoming just the second state after Michigan
to do so.
In 2006, an advisory referendum gave 55% of the Wisconsin voters favorable to the Wisconsin State Legislature restoring capital punishment; the legislators did not restore capital punishment.
Wisconsin has one of the lowest per-capita murder rates in the Union.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
was one of the earliest United States states to abolish the death penalty, and, along with Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, one of only two states that has performed only one execution in its history.
Since its admission to the Union in 1848, as the 30th State, the only execution carried out in Wisconsin was that of immigrant farmer John McCaffary
John McCaffary
John McCaffary was the only defendant to be executed by the State of Wisconsin. He was executed by hanging for the murder of his wife....
, who was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on August 21, 1851 in Kenosha County
Kenosha County, Wisconsin
-Demographics: As of the census of 2000, there were 149,577 people, 56,057 households, and 38,455 families residing in the county. The population density was 548 people per square mile . There were 59,989 housing units at an average density of 220 per square mile...
for drowning his wife.
Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853, just two years after McCaffary's execution (in part due to the public revulsion at the spectacle which McCaffary's execution became), becoming just the second state after Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to do so.
In 2006, an advisory referendum gave 55% of the Wisconsin voters favorable to the Wisconsin State Legislature restoring capital punishment; the legislators did not restore capital punishment.
Wisconsin has one of the lowest per-capita murder rates in the Union.
See also
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
- Capital punishment in MichiganCapital punishment in MichiganCapital punishment has been illegal in the U.S. State of Michigan since 1846, making Michigan's death penalty history unusual in contrast to other States. Michigan was the first English-speaking government in the world to abolish totally the death penalty for ordinary crimes. The Michigan State...