Federal clemency case file
Commutation of Eugene Victor Debs
Granted December 25, 1921 by Warren G. Harding (Republican).
In-depth case review
Eugene Victor Debs was convicted in the Northern District of Ohio in 1918 of ten counts under the Espionage Act of 1917, as amended by the Sedition Act of 1918, for a speech delivered in Canton, Ohio on June 16, 1918, opposing American participation in World War I. He was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) imprisonment. On December 25, 1921, President Warren G. Harding (Republican) granted Debs a commutation of his sentence.
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Court case
Offense and conviction
Conviction under the Espionage Act of 1917 for a speech opposing American participation in World War I, delivered in Canton, Ohio in June 1918. Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Northern District of Ohio · 1918
Espionage Act of 1917
Conviction on ten counts of speech opposing American participation in World War I, including a June 16, 1918 address in Canton, Ohio. (Espionage Act of 1917, § 3 (40 Stat. 219), as amended by the Sedition Act of 1918)
Sentence and money
Original penalties
Sentence
120 months imprisonment
Sentenced September 14, 1918 · Northern District of Ohio
Restitution or fine detail has not been extracted yet.
People and petition history
Case relationships
Co-defendants
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Petitions
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Connection records
Donations, lobbying, and disclosed activity
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FEC donation records
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Lobbying records
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Source trail
Documents and citations
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