First Electric Chair Execution: A Grim New Method
William Kemmler became the first person executed by electric chair at Auburn Prison in New York on August 6, 1890, and the procedure was a gruesome failure. The first 17-second jolt of 1,000 volts left Kemmler still breathing. Witnesses reported blood seeping from his face. A second jolt, lasting over a minute, caused his body to catch fire at the electrode contact points while the smell of burning flesh filled the room. George Westinghouse, whose alternating current system powered the chair, said afterward: "They would have done better using an axe." Thomas Edison, who had lobbied for AC to be used in executions to discredit Westinghouse's competing electrical system, watched the debacle undermine his campaign.
August 6, 1890
136 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Capital punishment
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New York
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New York State
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electric chair
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Auburn Prison
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William Kemmler
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Auburn Prison
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Auburn Correctional Facility
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William Kemmler
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Capital punishment
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Electric chair
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Auburn (Nueva York)
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New York
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Hinrichtung
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