James S. McCue
McCue in a 1904 publication
Mayor of Charlottesville
In office
1902 – September 1, 1904
Preceded byCharles W. Allen
Succeeded byGeorge W. Olivier
In office
1896–1900
Preceded byJohn Shelton Patton
Succeeded byCharles W. Allen
Personal details
Born
James Samuel McCue

(1861-01-15)January 15, 1861
Albemarle County, Virginia, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 1905(1905-02-10) (aged 44)
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Fannie McNutt Crawford
​
​
(m. 1886; died 1904)​
Children4
EducationUniversity of Virginia School of Law
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer

James Samuel McCue (January 15, 1861 – February 10, 1905) was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served as mayor of Charlottesville from 1896 to 1900 and from 1902 to 1904. He was executed by hanging for murdering his wife Fannie McNutt (née Crawford) McCue.

Early life

James Samuel McCue was born on January 15, 1861, in Albemarle County, Virginia, to Sallie Jane Moon and James Cyrus McCue.[1] He was educated at private schools in Albemarle County and Pantops Academy in Charlottesville. He attended the University of Virginia School of Law.[1]

Career

In 1884, McCue moved to Charlottesville.[2] McCue opened a law office in Charlottesville after graduating. He was alderman in the city of Charlottesville for seven or eight years.[1]

McCue was a Democrat. He served as mayor of Charlottesville for three terms: two terms, from 1896 to 1900 and an additional term, from 1902 to September 1, 1904.[1][2]

Personal life

Mrs. Fannie Crawford McCue in a 1904 publication

McCue married Fannie McNutt Crawford on November 4, 1886. They had four children, James William, Samuel Overton, Ruby Grigsby and Harry Moon.[1][2]

Murder of wife and execution

McCue's wife was murdered with a shotgun and had been struck on the head on September 4, 1904. McCue originally had raised suspicion that a stable boy was the culprit. McCue was arrested for the murder the following day.[2][3]

McCue was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. His execution was scheduled for January 20, 1905, but was delayed by the governor to allow the case to pass to the Supreme Court of Appeals.[3][4] The appeal was subsequently rejected. McCue was executed by hanging in Charlottesville on the morning of February 10, 1905.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 University of Virginia; its history, influence, equipment and characteristics, with biographical sketches and portraits of founders, benefactors, officers and alumni. Vol. 2. Lewis Publishing Company. 1904. p. 192. Retrieved April 23, 2023 – via Archive.org.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chesterman, Evan R.; Geisinger, Joe F. (1904). History of the McCue Case. The Williams Printing Co. pp. 3–9.
  3. 1 2 "Ex-Mayor Is Hanged". The Sacramento Star. January 20, 1905. p. 4. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. ↑ "Brief History of the Case". Daily Press. February 10, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ↑ "McCue Pays Penalty For His Awful Crime". The Portsmouth Star. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.