February 6, 1826 - Nathaniel Gordon
Gordon occupies a singular place in American legal history as the sole person executed under the Piracy Law of 1820 for engaging in the transatlantic slave trade — a law that had been on the books for four decades before a federal prosecution finally carried it to its conclusion. His 1862 conviction came at a moment when political will had finally aligned with statutory intent, making his case less a turning point than a long-delayed reckoning. When captured, his ship carried nearly 900 enslaved Africans.
From Wikipedia
Nathaniel Gordon (February 6, 1826 – February 21, 1862) was an American slave trader who was the only person in the United States to be tried, convicted, and executed by the federal government for having "engaged in the slave trade", which was deemed an act of piracy when committed by American citizens under the Piracy Law of 1820. As such, Gordon was also the last person to be executed for piracy in the United States.
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