Gee Jon

For the Australian Politician, see Jon Gee.
Gee Jon
朱家休
Nevada State Prison mugshot
Bornc. 1895
Canton, Qing China
Died (aged 29)
Nevada State Prison, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by gas chamber
Other namesGee Gar Hue[1][2]
Jon Gee[3]
OccupationCook
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[4]
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Gee Jon
Chinese朱家休
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhū Jiāxiū
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzyu1 gaa1 jau1

Gee Jon (Chinese: 朱家休;[5] c. 1895 – February 8, 1924) was a Chinese national who was the first person in the United States to be executed by lethal gas.[6] A member of the Hip Sing Tong criminal society from San Francisco, California, Gee was sentenced to death for the murder of Tom Quong Kee, who was a member of the rivaling Bing Kung Tong in Mina, Nevada.[7] An unsuccessful attempt to pump poison gas directly into his cell at Nevada State Prison led to the development of the gas chamber.[8]

  1. ^ Chan, Loren B. (1975). "Example For The Nation: Nevada's Execution of Gee Jon" (PDF). Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. p. 25.
  2. ^ https://epubs.nsla.nv.gov/statepubs/epubs/210777-1976-1Spring.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ https://epubs.nsla.nv.gov/statepubs/epubs/210777-1976-1Spring.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Chan, Loren B. (1975). "Example For The Nation: Nevada's Execution of Gee Jon" (PDF). Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. p. 25.
  5. ^ Chan, Loren B. (1975). "Example For The Nation: Nevada's Execution of Gee Jon" (PDF). Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. p. 90-106 (p. 25-33 on PDF).
  6. ^ "Nevada State Prison Inmate Case Files: Gee Jon". Nevada State Library and Archives. July 11, 2003. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  7. ^ Reid, John Bevis; James, Ronald Michael (2004). Uncovering Nevada's Past: A Primary Source History of the Silver State. University of Nevada Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0874175677. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  8. ^ "Descriptions of Execution Methods: Gas Chamber". Death Penalty Information Center. 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.