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Sadly, there are countless cases of miscarriages of justice all around the world. Similarly, many people have also been convicted for crimes that would, in this day and age, not even exist. Whatever the case, there have been instances where the error was recognized and a posthumous pardon was granted. These gestures are indeed more symbolic than anything else, but still demonstrate that people are willing to accept errors from the past and apologize for them.
In this gallery, we look at some of the most famous examples of people who have received posthumous pardons. Click on to learn all about their fascinating stories.
In 63 BCE, a group of men tried to stage a coup in Rome and overthrow Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Cicero got five of his opponents executed. It was not until more than 2,000 years later that the case went to court. In 2022, the Roman statesman was cleared at the UK's Supreme Court.
In 1952, the famous English mathematician, computer scientist, and cryptanalyst (to name a few roles) pleaded guilty to the charge of "gross indecency" for being gay. Turing is believed to have taken his own life by ingesting cyanide.
In 2009, the British government and then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued an apology, but a pardon was denied by then-Justice Minister Lord McNally. Queen Elizabeth II then intervened and invoked an exception known as the royal prerogative of mercy, and granted a pardon to Turing. In 2017, the Alan Turing law pardoned any men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed "sexual activity between persons of the same sex."
In 1895, the famous Irish poet and playwright was incarcerated and sentenced to two years of labor for the crime of homosexuality. Wilde them moved to France, where he died in 1900. In 2017, Oscar Wilde was pardoned under the aforementioned Alan Turing law.
Viola Desmond was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist as well as a businesswoman. She famously challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Desmond was convicted of a minor tax violation for using a seat more expensive that what she paid for.
In April 2010, the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Mayann Francis, granted Desmond a posthumous free pardon under the royal prerogative of mercy. "Here I am, 64 years later—a black woman giving freedom to another black woman," said Francis.
American comedian Lenny Bruce was arrested multiple times for his edgy humor, but in 1964 it was different. Bruce was arrested for obscenity after his performance at NYC's Cafe Au Go Go. He was prosecuted and found guilty.
Bruce was released on bail during his appeal but died in August 1966, before his fate had been decided. In 2003, Governor George Pataki granted Bruce the first posthumous pardon in New York State history.
Leo Max Frank was an American factory superintendent who was lynched following the accusation of murdering a 13-year-old employee in 1913. In 1986, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles granted a pardon to Leo Frank "in recognition of the State's failure to protect the person of Leo M. Frank and thereby preserve his opportunity for continued legal appeal of his conviction."
In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first black world heavyweight champion in boxing history. In 1912, Johnson was accused of abducting a white girl who worked at his Chicago nightclub Cafe de Champion. Another woman came forward and claimed she had an affair with Johnson and they crossed state lines. Jack Johnson was accused of violating the Mann Act, previously known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910. The boxer fled to Europe, but then returned to the US and served his sentence.
Johnson died in a car crash in 1946. In 2018, Jack Johnson was posthumously pardoned by President Donald Trump. Sylvester Stallone and boxing champion Lenox Lewis were present.
In 1887, Marion was sent to the gallows for supposedly killing his railroad co-worker John Cameron...who later reappeared, alive and well. In 1987, Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey granted William Jackson Marion a full pardon.
Jefferson Davis was the first and only president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. He was arrested after the Confederacy was defeated, but was eventually released. Davis was under indictment when in 1868 President Andrew Johnson issued a pardon and amnesty to everyone engaged in the rebellion. Then, in 1978, President Jimmy Carter posthumously restored Davis' full citizenship rights.
Maolra Seoighe was an Irish man who, together with two other non-English speakers, was wrongfully convicted for murder in 1882. The trial was conducted in English, a language none of the men spoke. In April 2018, president of Ireland Michael D. Higgins issued a pardon, saying, "Maolra Seoighe was wrongly convicted of murder and was hanged for a crime that he did not commit". This was the first presidential pardon relating to an event predating the foundation of the Irish Free State (Republic of Ireland).
Henry Ossian Flipper was the first black American to graduate from the United States Military Academy in 1877. After years of service, he became a quartermaster at Fort Davis. But Flipper was arrested and charged with embezzling after some money went missing. He was found not guilty of the main charge, but was found guilty of conduct unbecoming of an officer. In 1882, Flipper received a dishonorable discharge.
Following a subsequent Army review, it transpired that Lieutenant Flipper had been set up by his commanding officer. In 1976, the Army exonerated Flipper and his dismissal was changed to an honorable discharge. In 1999, President Bill Clinton granted Henry Ossian Flipper a full pardon.
Holden was the governor of North Carolina between 1868 and 1871. He was impeached and removed from office for suppressing the Ku Klux Klan. In 2011, he was pardoned by the North Carolina Senate.
Welshman Timothy John Evans was convicted and hanged for murdering his baby daughter in 1950. Later, it was discovered that the murder was committed by his neighbor, serial killer John Christie. In 1966, Evans was granted a posthumous pardon.
Bayard Rustin was a leader in a number of social movements, including civil rights, nonviolence, and gay rights. In 1953, he was arrested in Pasadena for sexual activity with two men in a parked car.
In 2013, Rustin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Barack Obama. And then, in 2020 governor of California Gavin Newsom issued Bayard Rustin a pardon.
Haywood Patterson was one of the Scottsboro Boys (nine African-American teens accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931). He was arrested and escaped the death sentence three times through appeals, eventually dying of cancer in 1952. In 2013, Haywood Patterson, along with two other Scottsboro Boys, was pardoned by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The lead vocalist of the Doors was arrested in 1969 for indecent exposure and trying to spark a riot at one of the band's shows in Miami.
A year later, Jim Morrison was convicted of indecent exposure and profanity. He paid a US$500 fine and walked out free on a $50,000 bond. In 2010, then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed a posthumous pardon for Jim Morrison.
John Gordon was an Irish immigrant found guilty of beating a factory owner to death in 1843. He was the last person executed by the state of Rhode Island. Researchers found that his conviction was based on prejudice because he was an Irish Catholic. In 2011, Governor Lincoln Chafee pardoned Gordon and said that his conviction was a "dark spot" in Rhode Island history.
Gabriel Sylliboy famously fought for the recognition of the treaties between Canada and the First Nations people. In 1919, Sylliboy was the first Mi'kmaq elected as Grand Chief. In February 2017, the Office of the Premier of Nova Scotia issued an official apology and pardon statement that read: "We recognize that the treatment of the Grand Chief was unjust. The province apologizes to the family of Grand Chief Sylliboy and the Mi'kmaw community for this injustice. An important step on our path toward reconciliation is recognizing the mistakes of the past so we can build a better future for all Nova Scotians."
The former Confederate Army general subscribed to an oath to support the Constitution and the Union, so that he'd be included in President Abraham Lincoln's amnesty. Somehow the paperwork got lost, and Lee technically died stateless in 1870. It was not until 1975 that President Gerald Ford signed a congressional resolution that granted Robert E. Lee a pardon and restored his citizenship.
Adnan Menderes served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. Menderes was executed following the 1960 coup. Adnan Menderes was posthumously pardoned by the Turkish Parliament in 1990.
Susan B. Anthony was a 19th-century women's rights activist, and in 1873 she was arrested for voting illegally in the presidential elections. Anthony was found guilty and fined US$100, but was subsequently jailed for refusing to pay. President Donald Trump declared his intention to pardon Anthony, but the president of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House declined it. The refusal to accept the pardon was because such a pardon would wrongly "validate" the trial proceedings in the same way that paying the fine would have.
Rua Kenana Hepetipa was a Māori prophet and land rights activist in New Zealand. Hepetipa founded a religious community, and in 1916 he was arrested for sedition. In 2019, the New Zealand Parliament issued a pardon.
Nguyễn Trãi was a Vietnamese Confucian scholar. In 1442, he was accused of murdering Emperor Lê Thái Tông and was executed. Nguyễn Trãi was pardoned 20 years later by Lê Thái Tông's son, Emperor Lê Thánh Tông. He was then given the posthumous noble title Count of Tán Trù.
In 1939, Joe Arridy was executed for the murder of a 15-year-old Colorado girl. Mentally disabled, it later transpired that police coerced Arridy's confession. In 2011, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter officially pardoned Joe Arridy.
Lena Baker was executed in 1945 for the murder of her employer (the only woman ever to die in Georgia's electric chair). In 2005, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles granted Baker's family an official proclamation. While she was not pardoned for her crime, the pardon was given for the decision to deny Baker clemency.
Sources: (TopTenz) (Business Insider) (Time) (The New York Times) (The Telegraph)
See also: The most famous executions in history
Famous cases of posthumous pardons
Some pardons were granted centuries later
CELEBRITY Justice
Sadly, there are countless cases of miscarriages of justice all around the world. Similarly, many people have also been convicted for crimes that would, in this day and age, not even exist. Whatever the case, there have been instances where the error was recognized and a posthumous pardon was granted. These gestures are indeed more symbolic than anything else, but still demonstrate that people are willing to accept errors from the past and apologize for them.
In this gallery, we look at some of the most famous examples of people who have received posthumous pardons. Click on to learn all about their fascinating stories.