A posthumous pardon serves as a symbolic act of redemption, aiming to rectify historical injustices and restore honor long after the individual has passed away. While it sparks debates over its practical significance, some argue its enduring necessity despite the delayed timing.
Rather than delve into that discussion, let’s explore ten notable instances where historical figures were granted pardons decades, centuries, and occasionally even millennia after their deaths.
1. Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great faced a similar trial to Cicero, organized by the charity Classics for All, albeit in a different year. Held at the UK Supreme Court, the Macedonian king stood accused of war crimes related to the burning of Persepolis. King’s Counsel Patrick Gibbs defended him, while King’s Counsel Philippe Sands prosecuted, with Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Leggatt presiding.
The trial did not dispute Alexander’s role in the city’s destruction but focused on the intent behind it. The prosecution argued it was a deliberate political act, while the defense contended it was a tragic consequence of drunken behavior.
Ultimately, Alexander was acquitted on all four counts of war crimes, leaving the courtroom without any charges against him.
2. Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde, now revered as one of the greatest English writers, faced a starkly different fate in his lifetime. Following a widely publicized trial, Wilde was convicted of homosexual acts, enduring two grueling years of hard labor that left him physically and emotionally shattered, hastening his demise shortly thereafter.
The controversy began unexpectedly, with Wilde initially acting as the accuser rather than the accused. In 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry publicly labeled Wilde a “posing sodomite” due to his clandestine relationship with the Marquess’s son, Lord Alfred Douglas. In response, Wilde took legal action for criminal libel against the Marquess, but the tables turned disastrously when evidence substantiating the accusation emerged. Consequently, Wilde’s case collapsed, leading to his own arrest on charges of sodomy and gross indecency. He was found guilty and sentenced to the maximum penalty of two years of labor, a punishment that left him physically debilitated and in declining health. Following his release, Wilde sought refuge in France, where he succumbed to meningitis three years later, the exact cause of which remains a subject of conjecture.
In 2017, Wilde, alongside tens of thousands of other men in similar circumstances, received a posthumous pardon under Turing’s Law, named after the World War II codebreaker Alan Turing.
3. Cicero
In 63 BC, Lucius Sergius Catilina, known as Catiline, led a failed coup against the Roman Republic’s consuls, Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida. The conspiracy was exposed by Cicero, leading to Catiline’s flight and subsequent defeat by Antonius at the Battle of Pistoria. In Rome, Cicero unmasked other conspirators, who were summarily executed without trial. This act tarnished Cicero’s legacy for centuries, accused of using the threat to enhance his political career.
Recently, after 2,000 years, Cicero was absolved of these accusations in a symbolic trial held at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, organized by the charity Classics for All. King’s Counsel Ali Bajwa defended Cicero, arguing that the conspiracy plunged the Roman Republic into wartime, justifying Cicero’s actions as necessary for purging treasonous elements from the government. A jury of 50 history enthusiasts found Cicero not guilty by a vote of 28-22, clearing his name of any wrongdoing.
4. Susan B. Anthony
In 1873, Susan B. Anthony, a prominent women’s rights activist, sparked national controversy when she was arrested for illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election. Alongside fourteen other women from her ward who also voted, Anthony’s case drew significant attention due to her outspoken advocacy for women’s suffrage.
During her trial, Supreme Court Justice Ward Hunt, known for his opposition to women’s right to vote, denied Anthony the opportunity to speak before directing the jury to find her guilty. Despite facing only a modest $100 fine, Anthony boldly declared in the courtroom that she would not pay a single cent, intending to appeal her case to the Supreme Court. Understanding her intentions, Justice Hunt opted not to imprison her for refusing to pay, and the matter was left unresolved by the court.
5. Henry Ossian Flipper
In 1877, Henry Ossian Flipper achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Black American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Following his graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Cavalry, serving with distinction in the Buffalo Soldier regiments during the Apache Wars. Later stationed at Fort Davis, Flipper assumed the role of quartermaster.
During his tenure at Fort Davis, an incident occurred where funds went missing from the safe. Subsequently, Flipper was arrested and charged with embezzlement. In 1881, a court-martial acquitted him of the primary charge but found him guilty of conduct unbecoming of an officer, resulting in a dishonorable discharge in 1882.
Speculation persisted for decades that racial bias influenced the actions leading to Flipper’s dismissal. A later Army review supported these suspicions, suggesting he may have been unfairly targeted by his commanding officer.
After enduring years of controversy, Flipper’s name was finally cleared. In 1976, the Army posthumously exonerated him, converting his discharge to honorable. President Clinton completed the restoration of Flipper’s legacy in 1999 by granting him a full pardon, ensuring his rightful place in history.
6. Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce, the American comedian renowned for his provocative humor, frequently stirred controversy with his words. Throughout the 1960s, his uncompromising style often landed him in legal trouble, facing numerous obscenity charges across the country, though he was acquitted or had charges dropped in most instances—except in New York.
Following a performance at the Cafe Au Go Go in April 1964, Bruce was arrested once again for obscenity. This time, after a highly-publicized six-month trial, he was convicted. While awaiting appeal on bail, Bruce tragically passed away from a drug overdose on August 3, 1966.
Nearly four decades later, in a historic move, Governor George Pataki of New York granted Bruce the state’s first posthumous pardon. This pardon came as a result of a dedicated campaign led by Bruce’s daughter, ex-wife, prominent First Amendment advocates, and fellow entertainers such as Robin Williams, Penn & Teller, and the Smothers Brothers, aiming to clear his controversial legacy and honor his contributions to free speech.
7. Robert E. Lee
Following the Civil War, President Lincoln granted a general amnesty to Confederates who agreed to support the abolition of slavery and swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and the Union. However, there were exceptions, particularly for former officers who had resigned their commissions to join the Southern cause. They had to apply individually for clemency.
Among these officers was General Robert E. Lee, the Confederate Army’s leader. He submitted his oath as required, but due to bureaucratic mishaps—often blamed on Secretary of State William Seward—the paperwork was misplaced. As a final indignity, Seward reportedly kept Lee’s petition as a souvenir and instructed his staff to misplace it in the State Department archives. Despite a second amnesty issued by President Andrew Johnson that removed these exceptions, Lee’s application went unnoticed, and he passed away in 1870 without his citizenship fully restored, leaving him technically stateless.
Nearly a century later, an archivist rediscovered Lee’s lost oath in the National Archives. After navigating through bureaucratic hurdles for five more years, President Gerald Ford finally signed a congressional resolution on August 5, 1975, granting Robert E. Lee a posthumous pardon and reinstating his full citizenship.
8. Jack Johnson
In 1908, boxer Jack Johnson stirred considerable racial animosity among white Americans when he became the first black world heavyweight champion in history. His victory was further infuriating to many in 1910, when he defeated James Jeffries in what was billed as the “Fight of the Century.” Jeffries, a previously undefeated fighter, had come out of retirement with the moniker of the “Great White Hope” to reclaim the title from Johnson. The backlash was severe, sparking race riots in over a dozen cities across the United States.
Chicago seized an opportunity for retribution in 1912, shortly after Johnson opened a stylish, integrated nightclub called Cafe de Champion. A white woman from Minneapolis alleged to the police that her daughter, employed at the club, was in a relationship with Johnson, claiming she had been abducted by him. In response, the City Council swiftly moved to revoke the club’s liquor license, banned music on the premises, and barred Johnson from entering the establishment.
Not content with these measures, the city escalated its pursuit when another white woman confessed to having a relationship with Johnson and accused him of transporting her across state lines. Under the Mann Act, which targeted “white slave traffic,” Johnson was arrested, found guilty, and eventually fled to Europe before returning to serve his sentence. The racial motivations behind targeting Johnson were undeniable, prompting a fervent campaign led by actor and boxing enthusiast Sylvester Stallone. This effort culminated in President Trump granting Jack Johnson a full pardon in 2018.
9. The Groveland Four
The Groveland Four case represents a tragic and dark chapter in Florida’s history. In 1949, four Black teenagers were accused of raping a white woman and attacking her husband in Groveland, Lake County, Florida. The aftermath was marked by horrifying violence: Ernest Thomas was pursued by a mob and shot over 400 times, while Samuel Shepherd was killed by a sheriff who claimed he was trying to escape. The other two, Walter Irvin and Charles Greenlee, confessed under duress after being tortured. They were convicted and sent to prison, with Irvin paroled in 1968 but found dead a year later, and Greenlee paroled in 1962, eventually moving to Tennessee where he passed away in 2012.
Despite a Supreme Court ruling in the 1950s that deemed their trials unfair, subsequent legal proceedings continued to uphold their convictions, even with representation by future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and other advocates.
It wasn’t until decades later that the state of Florida acknowledged the grave miscarriage of justice. In 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis granted a posthumous pardon to the Groveland Four, and two years later, a judge formally exonerated them of all charges, finally recognizing and rectifying the injustice they had endured.
1. Alan Turing
Alan Turing, an English mathematician, computer scientist, and cryptanalyst, made significant contributions to artificial intelligence and computer science. During World War II, he played a crucial role in deciphering Axis powers’ coded messages, aiding the Allies. Today, Turing’s legacy is commemorated in myriad ways, including his appearance on the £50 note and frequent accolades as one of Britain’s greatest historical figures.
However, Turing faced discrimination in his lifetime due to his homosexuality. In 1952, he was charged with “gross indecency” and opted to undergo hormonal treatment to avoid imprisonment, a form of punishment known as chemical castration. Tragically, Turing died in 1954 from cyanide poisoning, with his death officially ruled as suicide, though some suspect it may have been accidental.
In 2009, the British government issued an apology for Turing’s mistreatment, but initially stopped short of a pardon, citing the legality of his conviction at the time. Eventually, the Queen utilized the royal prerogative of mercy to grant Turing a posthumous pardon. Subsequently, the UK passed the Alan Turing Law in 2016, pardoning all men historically convicted for homosexual acts, including figures like Oscar Wilde.
