John Surratt
John Harrison Surratt Jr. (April 13, 1844 – April 21, 1916) was an American Confederate spy who was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; he was also suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. His mother, Mary Surratt, was convicted of conspiracy by a military tribunal and hanged; she owned the boarding house that the conspirators used as a safe house and to plot the scheme.
John Surratt | |
|---|---|
Surratt in 1868 | |
| Born | John Harrison Surratt Jr. April 13, 1844 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 1916 (aged 72) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Burial place | New Cathedral Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation(s) | U.S. postmaster, farmer, parochial school teacher, Pontifical Zouave, public lecturer, company treasurer |
| Known for | Co-conspirator in plan to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Friend of John Wilkes Booth |
| Spouse |
Mary Victorine Hunter
(m. 1872) |
| Children | 7 |
| Parent(s) | Mary Surratt John Harrison Surratt |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Service branch | Confederate Secret Service |
| Rank | courier, spy |
He eluded arrest following the assassination by fleeing to Canada and then to Europe. He thus avoided the fate of the other conspirators, who were hanged. He served briefly as a Pontifical Zouave but was recognized and arrested. He escaped to Egypt but was eventually arrested and extradited. By the time of his trial, the statute of limitations had expired on most of the potential charges. He was tried in civilian court in 1867 in Washington D.C. and was not convicted due to a hung jury. He was never tried again.