James Moran

James Moran sailed aboard William Wirt, captained by Thomas S. Smith. While at sea, the nineteen-year old Moran killed Smith.

New York Evening Post, January 14, 1837

James Moran was hanged before a large and unruly crowd in Philadelphia on May 19, 1837. His was the state’s last public execution and last execution for piracy.

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Author: Bill Lofquist

I am a sociologist and death penalty scholar at the State University of New York at Geneseo. I am also a Pittsburgh native. My present research focuses on the history of the death penalty in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pa.

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