John Gordon

John Gordon (c. 1815 – February 14, 1845) was the last person executed by the U.S. state of Rhode Island. His conviction and execution have been ascribed by researchers to anti-Roman Catholic and anti-Irish immigrant bias. As a result, he was posthumously pardoned in 2011.

Murder, trial, and execution In 1844, Gordon was tried and convicted for the December 31, 1843, beating murder of Amasa Sprague, a Cranston textile factory owner. Sprague was a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. His brother William was a United States senator. Six months before his murder, Amasa Sprague had used his family's political influence to have Cranston resident Nicholas Gordon's liquor license removed by the city council. Included in jury instructions, Durfee "told the jurors to give greater weight to Yankee witnesses than Irish witnesses."

Aftermath Seven years after Gordon's execution, Rhode Island abolished the death penalty.