1951: Charlie Gifford, politician-killer
February 21st, 2010 Headsman
On this date in 1951, Charlie Gifford was electrocuted in Florida’s Raiford Prison for murder.
The murder victim was popular young Florida legislator/war hero Charles Schuh, whose promising political career ended abruptly on April 24, 1950, when the 71-year-old Gifford strode into his St. Petersburg offices and shot him dead over some head-scratching private grievance relating to Schuh’s legal practice. (Schuh represented Gifford’s ex-wife in a divorce proceeding.)
An insanity defense didn’t fly, though Gifford’s purchase on reality seems to have been … hit and miss. The septuagenarian perp didn’t seem to mind the death sentence.
The murdered legislator’s son, Charles E. Schuh, grew up into a political career of his own, eventually becoming mayor of St. Petersburg. Charles E. Schuh’s recent passing brought out this fascinating story by a former reporter who witnessed Gifford’s execution.
The electric chair was in the center, but the controls were behind a glass-enclosed area. I was repelled by the sight of “Old Sparky,” the electric chair. I was even more horrified to see that the executioner, a local electrician, wore a black hood reminiscent of the Inquisition. …
Today I am a decade older than Gifford was then, but to a 22-year-old reporter he seemed to be just a frail old man with a shaved head.
Also on this date
- 1946: Cristino Garcia, Spanish Republican and French Resistance hero
- 1934: Augusto Cesar Sandino, national hero
- 1930: Eva Dugan, her head jerked clean off
- 1942: Mykhailo and Olena Teliha, Ukrainian artists
- 1803: Edward Marcus Despard, a patriot without a nation
Entry Filed under: 20th Century,Capital Punishment,Common Criminals,Crime,Death Penalty,Diminished Capacity,Electrocuted,Execution,Florida,History,Murder,Notable for their Victims,USA
Tags: 1950s, 1951, charles schuh, charlie gifford, february 21, politics, raiford
October 7th, 2010 at 4:05 am
[...] — notables from Giuseppe Zangara to Ted Bundy, milestones like John Spenkelink, and scores of strange and forgotten perps among [...]
June 11th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Hello, Kevin. I’m Lisa, 14, and I noticed this photograph of Charlie Gifford and can’t really tell what he looks like in the picture. I found a magazine from 1951 on Google News and found a clearer photograph of him (a mugshot taken a month before his electrocution; it shows that he had a beard and actually didn’t look very old), so if you would like for me to send you the photograph, just email me or leave a comment.
June 12th, 2011 at 1:59 am
Hi Lisa–
Say, I just wanted to let you know that I answer questions about Ted Bundy only. Sometimes I’ll post a comment when something shows up here at ET that I have an opinion about, but I’m not in a position to answer questions from the public, Anyway, If you have any questions or comments about Bundy, I’ll be more than happy to answer them or listen.
Take care,
Kevin