Dow B. Hover (November 16, 1900 – June 1, 1990) was an American executioner who was the last person to serve as a

New York State Electrician New York State Electrician was a title given to the chief executioner of the State of New York during the use of the electric chair from 1890 to the state's last execution in 1963, although the final State Electrician, Dow Hover, remained on call ...

, the state's executioner and operator of the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

. He was the last person to serve as an executioner in the state, which has since abolished the death penalty. On August 15, 1963 at

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

prison, Hover executed

Eddie Lee Mays Eddie Lee Mays (March 15, 1929 – August 15, 1963) was the last person to be executed by the New York (state), state of New York. He was convicted of first degree murder and robbery in 1962. Mays was 34 years old at the time of execution. Early ...

, the last person to be executed by the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

Hover, a native and lifelong resident of

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

, worked as a

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

for Columbia County. When on August 5, 1953, longtime state electrician Joseph Francel left his post after 14 years on service, Hover was hired to replace him, securing the job through his contacts at the Columbia County sheriff's office. He was 52 years old at that time and, like five of his predecessors, was a trained electrician. In addition to his work as a deputy sheriff, Hover earned $150 every time he put on a suit, made the 160-mile round-trip to Sing Sing, and pulled the switch for the electric chair. (Adjusted for inflation, this $150 payment is equivalent to about $1,000 today.) Hover also received gas money, usually eight cents per mile. Unlike his predecessor, whose name regularly appeared in the media, Hover kept his second job a secret. On the nights he drove to

to carry out an execution, he changed the license plates on his car before he even left his garage. Hover was a well-known citizen of Germantown, because of his primary position. In addition to many state executions during the administrations of

Governors A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

, W. Averell Harriman and

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

, he executed

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

Gerhard Puff Gerhard Arthur Puff (February 13, 1914 – August 12, 1954) was a gangster executed by the federal authorities in New York for killing a federal agent. Born in Dresden, Germany, the 13-year-old Puff, along with his mother and five-year-old brothe ...

, a federal inmate. He also performed fourteen executions in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and was the executioner for six executions in Connecticut during the mid-1950s to early 1960s. Hover was married since he was 20 and had two children. He was the founder of a laboratory animal supply company, Taconic Farms, that he later sold. Hover held a General Class amateur radio license, since some time before 1969. His call sign was WA2QQY. His later life was characterized by intense grief; he suffered frequent migraines, possibly as a result of job-related stress. Hover died of an apparent suicide by

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

on June 1, 1990. ''Execution Nights'', a song about the life of Dow B. Hover was written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter, Lorne Clarke. The song was included on Clarke's 2007 CD release, ''Moonlight & Cider''.

References

Sources

The Last Executioner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hover, Dow 1900 births 1990 suicides 20th-century American people American executioners Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning People from New York (state) American electricians Suicides in New York (state)