James Samuel McCue (January 15, 1861 – February 10, 1905) was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served as

mayor of Charlottesville The Mayor of Charlottesville is the president of the City Council in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before 1888, Charlottesville was a town within Albemarle County, Virginia, and the electorate directly chose a mayor in regular elections. In 1888, Cha ...

from 1896 to 1900 and from 1902 to 1904. He was

executed by hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

for murdering his wife.

Early life

James Samuel McCue was born on January 15, 1861, in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

, to Sallie Jane Moon and James Cyrus McCue. His father served in the Confederate Army. McCue was educated at private schools in Albemarle County and

Pantops Academy Pantops Academy is a school in Charlottesville, Virginia. John Leighton Stuart started attending the school in 1892 when it had one of the highest reputations among all the Southern private schools. After graduation, Stuart eventually came back to t ...

in Charlottesville. He attended the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

Career

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

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He served as

for three terms: two terms, from 1896 to 1900 and an additional term, from 1902 to September 1, 1904.

Personal life

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

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. 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. The appeal was subsequently rejected. McCue was executed by hanging in Charlottesville on the morning of February 10, 1905.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCue, James S. 1861 births 1905 deaths 20th-century executions of American people 20th-century executions by Virginia People from Albemarle County, Virginia Mayors of Charlottesville, Virginia Virginia Democrats Virginia lawyers American politicians convicted of murder American people executed for murder Executed people from Virginia Executed politicians People convicted of murder by Virginia People executed by Virginia by hanging 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians