Nathaniel Gordon
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Nathaniel Gordon (c. 1834 – February 21, 1862) was the first and only American slave trader to be tried, convicted, and executed "for being engaged in the Slave Trade" in accordance with the Piracy Law of 1820.
Gordon was born in Portland, Maine. He loaded 897 slaves aboard his ship Erie at Sharks Point, Congo River, West Africa on August 7, 1860 and was captured by the USS Mohican 50 miles from port on August 8, 1860. After one hung jury and a new trial, Gordon was convicted November 9, 1861 in the circuit court in New York City and sentenced to death by hanging on February 7, 1862.
President Abraham Lincoln issued a stay of Gordon's execution setting the new date for February 21, 1862. Lincoln made clear that the respite was only temporary to allow Gordon time for his final preparations. The evening before the execution, Gordon unsuccessfully attempted suicide with strychnine poison prompting the local authorities to move back the execution to noon from 2:30 p.m. due to Gordon's health. Gordon was survived by his wife, son, and mother.
[edit] References
- Ron Soodalter, Hanging Captain Gordon: The Life and Trial of an American Slave Trader, Atria Books, New York, 2006, ISBN 0-74326-728-1.
[edit] External links
- "The Execution of Gordon, The Slave-Trader", Harper's Weekly, March 8, 1862.
- "Slave Captain to be Hanged", Worcester Aegis and Transcript, December 7, 1861, p 1. (From Letters of the Civil War (website), archived at Wayback Machine, November 15, 2004.)
- Text of the stay of execution granted to Gordon by Abraham Lincoln, 1862, Gilder Lehrman Document Number: GLC 182, Digital History (website).
- "Introduction" by Richard Behn, Mr. Lincoln and Freedom (website), The Lincoln Institute, 2002.
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