James Alderman
Encyclopedia
James Horace Alderman (died August 17, 1929) was an alcohol
smuggler during the prohibition era
in the United States, and was known as the King of the Rum Runners. He was executed by the Federal government for the killing on the high seas of Sidney Sanderlin and Victor A. Lamby, U.S. Coast Guardsmen; and Robert K. Webster, a Secret Service
agent off southeast Florida
, near Fort Lauderdale
.
The crime took place August 7, 1927. He was tried under Sections 272, 273, 275 of the U. S. Criminal Code. In January, 1928 he was sentenced to death by U. S. District Judge Henry D. Clayton. President
Herbert Hoover
declined clemency.
His hanging was initially scheduled to be carried out in the Broward County
jail, but the County Commissioners declined, insisted a Federal hanging should occur on U. S. property (from 1924 all executions by the state of Florida
were carried out by electric chair
). Finally Alderman was executed on newly erected gallows
in a metal hangar of the U. S. Coast Guard station near Fort Lauderdale. Media witnesses were barred from watching execution.
Despite Florida's protest in this case, David Joseph Watson
was later executed for the federal government in state-owned Raiford Prison by the means of electrocution
.
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
smuggler during the prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in the United States, and was known as the King of the Rum Runners. He was executed by the Federal government for the killing on the high seas of Sidney Sanderlin and Victor A. Lamby, U.S. Coast Guardsmen; and Robert K. Webster, a Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agent off southeast Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, near Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
.
The crime took place August 7, 1927. He was tried under Sections 272, 273, 275 of the U. S. Criminal Code. In January, 1928 he was sentenced to death by U. S. District Judge Henry D. Clayton. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
declined clemency.
His hanging was initially scheduled to be carried out in the Broward County
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
jail, but the County Commissioners declined, insisted a Federal hanging should occur on U. S. property (from 1924 all executions by the state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
were carried out by electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
). Finally Alderman was executed on newly erected gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
in a metal hangar of the U. S. Coast Guard station near Fort Lauderdale. Media witnesses were barred from watching execution.
Despite Florida's protest in this case, David Joseph Watson
David Joseph Watson
David Joseph Watson was a 23-year old African American, executed by the United States Federal Government in Florida for a murder committed on the High Seas ....
was later executed for the federal government in state-owned Raiford Prison by the means of electrocution
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
.