alive." Nevertheless, after French "resisted all efforts to spare his life," he walked calmly into the execution chamber at 10:00 p.m on August 10, 1966; the Associated Press reporter at the scene wrote that "James Donald French got what he demanded: death in the electric chair," and commented that "He faced death with the same cockiness he faced life." In later years, French's last words before his death by electric chair would be said to have been "How's this for your headline? 'French Fries'". The story appeared as early as 1977 in The Book of Lists, but contemporaneous accounts of the execution mentioned only that when prison warden Ray Page asked if French had any last words, "French replied: 'Everything's already been said.'" French himself did make a quip about French fries. However, the remark was not made at his execution, but days prior, when French discussed his upcoming execution with reporter Bob Gregory. Gregory attended the execution and corroborated that French's real last words were, "Everything's already been said." Days prior, however, Gregory had met with French for an interview in the office of the warden of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. During the interview, Gregory reported that the following exchange took place: The execution of James French was the last execution by electric chair in the United States before Furman v. Georgia. Overall, it was the third to last nationwide, only being succeeded by that of Aaron Mitchell in California's gas chamber on April 12, 1967, and Luis Monge in Colorado's gas chamber on June 2, 1967. After the moratorium on capital punishment was lifted, Gary Gilmore became the first person to be executed nationwide when he volunteered for death by firing squad in Utah on January 17, 1977. Two years later, the first post-Furman electrocution occurred when John Spenkelink was executed in Florida on May 25, 1979. The first post-Furman execution in Oklahoma did not occur until September 10, 1990, when Charles Coleman was executed via lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. It was the first execution carried out in Oklahoma in over twenty-four years, since that of French's in 1966. References External links French v. State, 1966 OK CR 84 416 P.2d 171. 1930s births 1966 deaths American people executed for murder 20th-century executions by Oklahoma People executed by Oklahoma by electric chair 20th-century executions of American people People convicted of murder by Oklahoma