On this day 100 years ago, first electric chair execution took place — and shocked the world

On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler was executed by electric chair for murdering his lover Matilda Ziegler.

More than a century ago, William Kemmler, a vegetable seller, became the first person to be executed by an electric chair, marking a grim milestone in the evolution of capital punishment. On August 6, 1890, Kemmler was executed at Auburn Prison in New York after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe.

Electrocution for execution

On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler was executed after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend with an axe. (Representational)

While many would disagree, the dentist who first suggested electrocution pitched it as a humane way of execution in 1881. Dr Albert Southwick had once seen an elderly drunk man die “painlessly” after touching the terminals of an electrical generator in New York. The dentist considered this better than the prevalent form of execution at the time, which was usually death by hanging for up to 30 minutes.

Who was William Kemmler?

Kemmler, the son of German immigrants, dropped out of school early and turned to peddling, largely to support his struggle with alcoholism. According to the New York Times, Kemmler was recovering from a drinking binge and accused his lover, Tillie Ziegler, of stealing from him to elope with one of his friends.

The New York Times reported that when Kemmler was sent to the execution chair, he looked at it and said: "Gentlemen, I wish you all good luck. I believe I am going to a good place, and I am ready to go."

After he was strapped to the chair, he told the executioner to "take it easy" and "do it properly". "I'm in no hurry," Kemmler quipped.

The execution lasted around eight minutes and was heavily criticised by reporters at the scene. The New York Times captured the public outrage with the headline: “Far Worse Than Hanging.”