Mary Surratt: The Woman at the Center of the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the weeks after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, authorities hunted not only John Wilkes Booth but also anyone suspected of aiding him. Among the accused was Mary Surratt, a widowed boardinghouse owner in Washington. Investigators claimed her home was the meeting place where the plan to kill the president took shape. The evidence was thin, the public mood was unforgiving, and her trial became a national spectacle. By July 1865, Mary Surratt stood on the gallows, becoming the first woman the U.S. government ever executed. Kate Clifford Larson, author of The Assassin’s Accomplice, shares the story. We'd like to thank the U.S. National Archives for allowing us access to this audio.

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