United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
Encyclopedia
The United States Penitentiary (USP), Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.
It is located in Leavenworth
, Kansas
. It is an all-male, medium-security facility committed to carrying out the judgments of the Federal
Courts.
. The United States Disciplinary Barracks
(USDB) is four miles (6 km) north and is the sole maximum-security penal facility of the United States Military. The original USDB opened in 1874 with the current facility opening in 2002. Prisoners from the original USDB were used to build the civilian prison. In addition, the military's medium security Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
, located southwest of the new USDB, opened in 2010. The three prisons operate independently of each other.
In September 2009, the prison population consisted of 1,899 inmates in the main building and 407 in the adjoining minimum security camp.
The prison was extensively described by Pete Earley
, the only writer at that time who had ever been granted unlimited access to the prison, in his book, The Hot House. The prison's history has also been covered extensively in the pictorial history titled "U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth" by Kenneth M. LaMaster. Mr. LaMaster is the retired Institution Historian.
The other two were Atlanta and McNeil Island
(although McNeil dates to the 1870s the major expansion did not occur until the early 1900s).
The prison follows a format popularized at the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York where the cell blocks were in a large rectangular building. The rectangular building was focused on indoor group labor with a staff continually patrolling.
The Auburn system was a marked difference from the earlier Pennsylvania plan popularized at Eastern State Penitentiary
in which cell blocks radiated out from a central building (and was the original design for the nearby Disciplinary Barracks before it was torn down and replaced by a totally new prison).
The St. Louis, Missouri
architecture firm of Eames and Young
designed both Leavenworth and the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
.
Leavenworth's prison cells are back to back in the middle of the structure facing the walls. The prison's walls are 40 feet (12.2 m) high, 40 feet (12.2 m) below the surface and 3030 feet (923.5 m) long and enclose 22.8 acres (92,268.4 m²).
Its domed main building was nicknamed the "Big Top" or "Big House." The domed Disciplinary Barracks two miles (3 km) to the north was nicknamed the "Little Top" until it was torn down in 2004 and replaced with a newer structure.
The large central structure created various maintenance problems. It was nicknamed the "Hot House" because of its poor ventilation even when air conditioning is running. Extensive research by Prison Historian and author Kenneth M. LaMaster has shown that the institution has never been referred to as the "Hot House". Books such as Tom White: The Life of a Lawman and other publications show that the institution has been referred to as "The Big House", "The Big Top", and "The Big L", but never the "Hot House". The latter was popularized after a book of the same title was released by Pete Early in the late 1980s.
The next generation was characterized by the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary
built in 1931 which started a move away from a huge central castle like structure. Cell blocks are arranged in a "telephone pole" format extending out from the central building. This eliminated the mixing of prisoners of all types in the same building.
Modern federal prisons such as ADX Florence
have gone to smaller buildings spread out over a compound and depend more upon electronic surveillance.
escaped from Leavenworth a total of three times. He escaped federal custody a fourth time while awaiting return to Leavenworth.
In addition, two non-officers were killed in the line of duty between 1922 and 1929.
It is located in Leavenworth
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It is an all-male, medium-security facility committed to carrying out the judgments of the Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
Courts.
Background
The civilian USP Leavenworth is the oldest of three major prisons built on the grounds of Fort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
. The United States Disciplinary Barracks
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
(USDB) is four miles (6 km) north and is the sole maximum-security penal facility of the United States Military. The original USDB opened in 1874 with the current facility opening in 2002. Prisoners from the original USDB were used to build the civilian prison. In addition, the military's medium security Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
The Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility is a military prison at at 830 Sabalu Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas which opened in 2010.The prison on has a design specification of 512 beds with 43 in special housing and the rest in general housing and dormitory. The prison handles inmates...
, located southwest of the new USDB, opened in 2010. The three prisons operate independently of each other.
In September 2009, the prison population consisted of 1,899 inmates in the main building and 407 in the adjoining minimum security camp.
The prison was extensively described by Pete Earley
Pete Earley
-Career:A former Washington Post reporter, he is the author of books about the Aldrich Ames and John Walker espionage cases. His book Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town. won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Fact Crime Book in 1996. This...
, the only writer at that time who had ever been granted unlimited access to the prison, in his book, The Hot House. The prison's history has also been covered extensively in the pictorial history titled "U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth" by Kenneth M. LaMaster. Mr. LaMaster is the retired Institution Historian.
Design
Leavenworth is one of three first generation United States Penitentiaries built in the early 1900s. Prior to its construction federal prisoners were held at state prisons. In 1895 Congress authorized the construction of the federal prison system.The other two were Atlanta and McNeil Island
McNeil Island
McNeil Island is an island in western Puget Sound, located just west of Steilacoom, Washington, with a land area of 17.177 km² . It lies just north of Anderson Island. Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet. To the west McNeil Island is separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The...
(although McNeil dates to the 1870s the major expansion did not occur until the early 1900s).
The prison follows a format popularized at the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York where the cell blocks were in a large rectangular building. The rectangular building was focused on indoor group labor with a staff continually patrolling.
The Auburn system was a marked difference from the earlier Pennsylvania plan popularized at Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
in which cell blocks radiated out from a central building (and was the original design for the nearby Disciplinary Barracks before it was torn down and replaced by a totally new prison).
The St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
architecture firm of Eames and Young
Eames and Young
Eames and Young, American architecture firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, active nationally, and responsible for several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.- History :...
designed both Leavenworth and the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta
United States Penitentiary, Atlanta is a medium-security federal prison for men in Atlanta, Georgia. It also has a detention center for pre-trial and holdover inmates and an adjacent camp for minimum security male inmates...
.
Leavenworth's prison cells are back to back in the middle of the structure facing the walls. The prison's walls are 40 feet (12.2 m) high, 40 feet (12.2 m) below the surface and 3030 feet (923.5 m) long and enclose 22.8 acres (92,268.4 m²).
Its domed main building was nicknamed the "Big Top" or "Big House." The domed Disciplinary Barracks two miles (3 km) to the north was nicknamed the "Little Top" until it was torn down in 2004 and replaced with a newer structure.
The large central structure created various maintenance problems. It was nicknamed the "Hot House" because of its poor ventilation even when air conditioning is running. Extensive research by Prison Historian and author Kenneth M. LaMaster has shown that the institution has never been referred to as the "Hot House". Books such as Tom White: The Life of a Lawman and other publications show that the institution has been referred to as "The Big House", "The Big Top", and "The Big L", but never the "Hot House". The latter was popularized after a book of the same title was released by Pete Early in the late 1980s.
The next generation was characterized by the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary
Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary
The United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg is a male inmate high security federal penitentiary and satellite minimum security prison camp housing some 1,000 and 500 respectively, just outside Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The Lewisburg Penitentiary was opened in 1932...
built in 1931 which started a move away from a huge central castle like structure. Cell blocks are arranged in a "telephone pole" format extending out from the central building. This eliminated the mixing of prisoners of all types in the same building.
Modern federal prisons such as ADX Florence
ADX Florence
The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison for men that is located in unincorporated Fremont County, Colorado, United States, south of Florence. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies...
have gone to smaller buildings spread out over a compound and depend more upon electronic surveillance.
Historical timeline
- 1827 - Colonel Henry LeavenworthHenry LeavenworthHenry Leavenworth was an American soldier active in the War of 1812 and early military expeditions against the Plains Indians...
chose site for new fort. - 1875 - Fort chosen as the site for a military prison. Within a year, Fort Leavenworth housed more than 300 prisoners in a remodeled, supply-depot building.
- 1894 - Secretary of War conceded to the House Appropriations Committee that War Department could do without the military prison.
- 1895 - July 1 - Congress transferred the military prison from the War Department to the US Department of Justice. The Department of Justice took over the plant and inaugurated the United States Penitentiary. Commandant of the military prison, James V. Pope. Warden of the USP, James W. French.
- 1896 - House Judiciary Committee recommended that the facility be replaced.
- 1896 - June 10 - the Congress authorized a new federal penitentiary.
- 1897 - March - Warden French marched prisoners every morning two and one-half miles (4 km) from Ft. Leavenworth to the new site of the federal penitentiary. Work went on for two and one-half decades.
- 1899 - July 1 - Robert W. McClaughry was appointed Leavenworth's 2nd Warden.
- 1901 - November 10 - Joseph Waldrupe was the first correctional officer to be killed (records dating back to 1901) in the line of duty at Leavenworth.
- 1903 - Enough space was under roof to permit the first 418 prisoners to move into the new federal penitentiary.
- 1904 - First Cell house completed
- 1906 - February 1 - All prisoners had been transferred to the new facility, and the War Department appreciatively accepted the return of its prison.
- 1910 - May - The Attorney General approved construction of a separate cellblock for females on the penitentiary grounds - this plan was later abandoned.
- 1913 - June - T. W. Morgan, editor of a newspaper in the small Kansas town of Ottawa, was appointed Leavenworth's 3rd Warden.
- 1919 - Construction of the cellblocks completed.
- 1926 - Construction of the shoe shops completed.
- 1928 - Construction of the brush and broom factory completed.
- 1929 - Construction of the barber shop and first intraprison murder.
- 1930 - May - the Bureau of Prisons became a federal agency within the Department of Justice.
- 1930 - September 5 - Carl PanzramCarl PanzramCarl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males...
becomes the first to be executed (records dating back to 1927) by hanging at Leavenworth. - 1934 - December 11 - President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the first federal prisonFederal prisonFederal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
industries as a public corporation. - 1938 - August 12 - Robert Suhay and Glenn Applegate the first double execution (records dating back to 1927) by hangingHangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
at Leavenworth. - 1980's & 1990's. The institution undergoes major renovations to 3 of its 4 cellhouses. A,B, and C. D-Cellhouse today remains the only cellblock true to its original design.
- 2005 - Federal Bureau of Prisons changes USP Leavenworth's mission. The BOP decided to change the custody level of USP Leavenworth from High / Maximum to Medium while retaining the USP designation for historical reasons.
- 2011 - The Federal Bureau of Prisons takes comments on a proposed new 1,500 medium-security and 300 minimum security facility on the current prison grounds on 144 acres to the west of the current prison and a 238 acres area to the east.
Notable inmates
| Name | Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel R. Caldwell Samuel R. Caldwell Samuel R. Caldwell was the first person convicted of selling marijuana under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, according to federal files.-Biography:... |
First man in America to be arrested for selling marijuana in violation of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 | ||
| Frederick Cook Frederick Cook Frederick Albert Cook was an American explorer and physician, noted for his claim of having reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. This would have been a year before April 6, 1909, the date claimed by Robert Peary.... |
In 1922, plead guilty to mail fraud and imprisoned until 1930. | Famous explorer whose claims to be the first to reach the summit of Mt. McKinley and the North Pole turned out to be fraudulent. | |
| Jimmy Burke | who was sent to the prison for the first time at the age of eighteen in 1949 and once again in 1972 for extortion | Gangster | |
| James J. Bulger James J. Bulger James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is a former organized crime figure from Boston, Massachusetts.Local folklore depicted Bulger as a Robin Hood-style social bandit dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Bulger allegedly masterminded a protection racket targeting drug kingpins... |
He was shipped to Leavenworth out of Alcatraz. | Irish-American gangster sent to Leavenworth for hijacking Carjacking Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,... and bank robbing. |
|
| Troy Deon Reddick | 87145-011 | Bank robber and rapper known as Da' Unda' Dogg | |
| Phillip Garrido | Sent to Leavenworth for the kidnap of Katherine Callaway, later kidnapped Jaycee Dugard | ||
| Fritz Joubert Duquesne | Nazi spy and leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring Duquesne Spy Ring The Duquesne Spy Ring is the largest espionage case in United States history that ended in convictions. A total of thirty-three members of a German espionage network headed by Frederick "Fritz" Joubert Duquesne were convicted after a lengthy espionage investigation by the Federal Bureau of... , the largest convicted espionage Espionage Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it... case in United States history. |
||
| Victor Feguer Victor Feguer Victor Harry Feguer was a convicted murderer and the last federal inmate executed in the United States before the moratorium on the death penalty following Furman v. Georgia, and the last person put to death in the state of Iowa... |
last federal fugitive executed before Timothy McVeigh Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995... |
||
| John "Sonny" Franzese | 70022-158 | A legendary New York gangster and a high ranking member of the Colombo crime family Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia .... . |
|
| Antonio Fernandez | aka King Tone and current Inca of the Latin Kings (gang). | ||
| Gus Hall Gus Hall Gus Hall, born Arvo Kustaa Hallberg , was a leader and Chairman of the Communist Party USA and its four-time U.S. presidential candidate. As a labor leader, Hall was closely associated with the so-called "Little Steel" Strike of 1937, an effort to unionize the nation's smaller, regional steel... |
former leader of the Communist Party USA Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement.... , indicted under the Smith Act Smith Act The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S... |
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| Thomas James Holden | murderer and escapee, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive #1, 1950 FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1950 In 1950, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.... |
||
| Michael Nunn Michael Nunn Michael Nunn is a former American boxer. Nicknamed "Second to Nunn," he was a 6' 2" southpaw with great speed. Nunn was the IBF middleweight champion and the WBA super middleweight champion... |
Former IBF Middleweight and the WBA Super Middleweight Boxing Champion | ||
| Orba Elmer Jackson | escapee and post office robber, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive #7, 1950 FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1950 In 1950, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, began to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.... |
||
| George "Machine Gun" Kelly | Depression era gangster. | ||
| Randy Lanier Randy Lanier Randy Thomas Lanier is a former race car driver and convicted drug trafficker from the United States of America.-Personal life:... |
1986 Indy 500 rookie of the year. | ||
| Felix Mitchell Felix Mitchell Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. was a convicted drug lord from Oakland, California and leader of the notorious "69 Mob" criminal organization, which operated throughout California and into the midwest... |
Stabbed to death in 1986, just months into his prison term | notorious drug kingpin from Oakland, California Oakland, California Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... . |
|
| Byron "Bam" Morris Bam Morris Byron "Bam" Morris is a former American football running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs.-Early life:... |
former NFL player, played in Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season... |
||
| "Boss" Tom Pendergast Tom Pendergast Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as... |
Kansas City politician who handpicked Harry Truman for the U.S. Senate | ||
| Tom Petters Tom Petters Thomas Joseph Petters is an American business man and the former CEO and chairman of Petters Group Worldwide. Petters resigned his position as CEO on September 29, 2008, amid mounting criminal investigations... |
14170-041 | As of 2010, held in USP, Leavenworth | Former Minnesota CEO convicted in a $3.6 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest fraud case in state history |
| George "Bugs" Moran | Irish gangster who battled Al Capone Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early... for the control of Chicago's criminal underworld, who died one month into his sentence from lung cancer and is buried in the institution cemetery |
||
| Richard Case Nagell Richard Case Nagell Richard Case Nagell is a former military officer who, according to Dick Russell's biography of him, claimed to have had foreknowledge of the John F. Kennedy assassination, and also to have gotten himself arrested in a bank shooting weeks before the assassination to avoid becoming a patsy... |
the so-called "Man Who Knew Too Much" | ||
| Carl Panzram Carl Panzram Carl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males... |
serial killer. Executed for the murder of Institution Laundry Foreman Robert G. Warnke | ||
| John Paul, Sr. John Paul, Sr. John Lee Paul was an American racecar driver. After his racing career he served a 15-year prison sentence for a variety of crimes including drug trafficking and shooting a Federal witness. In 2001 he disappeared on his boat while being sought for questioning by officials regarding the... |
released in 1999 | racecar driver | |
| Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement . In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine... |
89637-132 | As of 1999 serving his time at USP Lewisburg | American Indian Movement leader, convicted of murdering two FBI agents, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive #335, 1975 FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1970s The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1970s is a list, maintained for a third decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI headlines in the 1970s:... |
| James Earl Ray James Earl Ray James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.... |
1955-58 | Charged with forging documents - later assassin of Martin Luther King | |
| Leslie Isben Rogge Leslie Isben Rogge Leslie Ibsen Rogge was imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas in the 1970s for car theft and grand larceny.... |
Bank robber, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive #430, 1990 FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1990s The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1990s is a list, maintained for a fifth decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives to begin the 1990s:... |
||
| Robert Stroud | became famous as the "Bird Man of Alcatraz" | ||
| Thomas Silverstein Thomas Silverstein Thomas Silverstein is a convicted American murderer. He has been in prison for armed robbery and has been convicted of four separate murders while imprisoned, one of which was overturned. He has been in solitary confinement since 1983, when he killed prison guard Merle Clutts at the Marion... |
Regarded as one of the prison Bureau's most dangerous prisoners; was held in Leavenworth's basement in a "No Human Contact" Status; transferred to ADX Florence ADX Florence The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison for men that is located in unincorporated Fremont County, Colorado, United States, south of Florence. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies... supermax Supermax Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries... in Florence, Colorado Florence, Colorado The City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the 2000 census.ADX Florence, the only federal Supermax prison in the United States, is located south of Florence in an unincorporated area in Fremont County... |
Murder | |
| Michael Vick Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League... |
Released in 2009. | NFL quarterback formerly with the Atlanta Falcons, pleaded guilty to operating an unlawful six-year-long interstate dog fighting venture known as "Bad Newz Kennels Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation The Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation began in April 2007 with a search of property in Surry County, Virginia, owned by Michael Vick, who was at the time quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons football team, and the subsequent discovery of evidence of a dog fighting ring... ". |
|
| Ricardo Flores Magón Ricardo Flores Magón Cipriano Ricardo Flores Magón was a noted Mexican anarchist and social reform activist. His brothers Enrique and Jesús were also active in politics. Followers of the Magón brothers were known as Magonistas.... |
He became equally at odds with US authorities and eventually died in Leavenworth in 1922, probably dying from long-standing health impairments. | Mexican anarcho-syndicalist intellectual who was in the US during the Mexican Revolution. | |
Famous escapees
Basil BanghartBasil Banghart
Basil "The Owl" Banghart was an American criminal, burglar and prison escape artist. Although a successful "stickup artist" during the 1920s and early 1930s, he is best remembered for his involvement in the hoax kidnapping of Chicago mobster Jake "The Barber" Factor, a crime for which he and Roger...
escaped from Leavenworth a total of three times. He escaped federal custody a fourth time while awaiting return to Leavenworth.
Executions
On September 5, 1930, Carl Panzram, under a federal death sentence for murder, was hanged at USP Leavenworth. On August 12, 1938, two men under the sentence of death for murder, Robert Suhay and Glenn Applegate, were hanged at USP Leavenworth.Officer Deaths
Five officers were killed in the line of Duty at Leavenworth.- Joseph B. Waldrupe, November 10, 1901, from injuries received during institution mutiny and mass escape on November 7, 1901.
- Andrew F. Turner, March 26, 1916. Murdered by inmate Robert Stroud aka the Birdman of Alcatraz.
- Edgar A. Barr, March 19, 1917. Murdered during an altercation with an inmate.
- John W. Johnson,, September 29, 1974. Murdered during an altercation with an inmate.
- Wayne L. Selle, July 31, 1973. Murdered by inmates during an institution riot.
In addition, two non-officers were killed in the line of duty between 1922 and 1929.
- Andrew H. Leonard, Captain, November 14, 1922. Murdered during an altercation with an inmate in which six other officers received life-threatening injuries.
- Robert G. Warnke, Laundry Foreman, June 20, 1929. Murdered in institution laundry building by serial killer Carl Panzram.
External links
- USP Leavenworth - Federal Bureau of PrisonsFederal Bureau of PrisonsThe Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
- United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth Information from Leavenworth Area Development
- United States Penitentiary Cemetery Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...