https://www.mallhistory.org/files/original/18812b15b01a394622457ee8afeb6dc5.jpg fb40a2686fa1d8784c90c20446e1e090 People An individual, biographical data, birth and death, etc. Death Date 10/28/1802 Biographical Text James McGirk, also spelled McGuirk, was a local bricklayer who lived on F Street, between 12th and 13th Streets. He was known to drink to excess and abuse his wife. In April of 1802, McGirk was convicted of having beaten his wife so severely it resulted in her death and the still birth of their child. <br /><br />His trial and sentence of death led to debates about the morality of capitol punishment in newspapers. Appeals to <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/301">President Jefferson</a> by McGirk and his lawyer for a stay of execution were unsuccessful. Upon his execution McGirk was remorseful, stating "When a man's character is gone his life is gone." He was hung on October 28, 1802. After the execution, the location for McGirk's burial was a point of contention. His body was buried and exhumed several times by people dissatisfied with such a notorious criminal being buried near their relatives. First Name for nav purposes James Last Name for nav purposes McGirk Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James McGirk Description An account of the resource James McGirk was the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/158">first person to be executed</a> in the District of Columbia on October 28, 1802. He was found guilty of murdering his wife. At this time, the gallows were located on the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/59">Capitol</a> Grounds, between where the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/21">Grant</a> and <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/13">Garfield</a> statues stand today. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10/28/1802 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-1829 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <em>Washington Federalist</em>. April 14, 1802. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James McGirk work & play