| Garrett,
Johnny Frank (?-1991) |
|
"I'd like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me.
And the rest of the world can kiss my ass." |
|
Garrett brutally murdered a Catholic nun in 1981. Caught, tried,
and convicted, Garrett was finally executed in 1991 after exhausting his
legal appeals process. |
| Genghis,
Khan of the Mongols (1155?-1227) |
|
"Let not my end disarm you, and on no account weep or keen for me,
let the enemy be warned of my death" |
|
Genghis Khan was the founder of the largest continuous land empire
to ever be established, ranging from the Near East to the Yellow Sea.
In 1226, at a relatively advance age, he lead his army on a campaign to
punish the Tanguts for their refusal to provide him with auxiliary troops
during a previous campaign. He fell ill as his forces approached
the Tangut capital of Ningxia, perhaps--although accounts disagree--from
infections of wounds inflicted on his genitals by a captured woman he had
ravished. At any event, when it became clear that he was dying, he
summoned his generals and sons to his bedside. |
|
His sons arrived first and found their father deliriously raving that
"My descendants will wear gold, they will eat the choicest meats, they
will ride the finest horses, they will hold in their arms the most beautiful
women, and they will forget to whom they owe it all." Eventually,
he regained his composure and told his sons "It is clear to me that I must
leave everything and go hence from thee." He then turned to his generals
and began to give final guidance for the battle against the Tanguts.
Before he concluded his speech, the instructed them "the words of the lad
Kublai are well worth attention; see, all of you, that you heed what he
says! One day he will sit in my seat and bring you good fortune such
as you have had in my day." Following the khan's death, the Mongol
army defeated the Tanguts, sacked Ningxia, and massacred all of its inhabitants. |
|
For more information:
The
Land of Genghis Khan |
 |
Recommended Reading;
Genghis
Khan: His Life and Legacy by Paul Ratchnevsky |
| George
V, King of Great Britain and Ireland (1865-1936) |
|
"Bugger Bognor." |
|
George V was King of Great Britain and Ireland during World War I.
Just before his death, his doctor assured him that he would soon recover
and be able to holiday at his favorite seaside resort, Bognor Regis. |
|
It can't be claimed for certain that "Bugger Bognor" were the
king's last words. Some have said his last words were, "Gentlemen,
I am sorry for keeping you waiting like this. I am unable to concentrate,"
and The Times reported they were an even more regal, "How is the
Empire?". Recently, the diary of the attending physician was published;
it states that after being given a shot of morphine, the king's last words
were "God damn you," . |
|
For more information:
King George V of Great
Britain and Ireland |
| Gilbert,
Sir Humphrey (1539?-1583) |
|
"We are as near to heaven by sea as by land." |
|
Gilbert Humphrey was an English soldier, navigator, and explorer.
The half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, he is best remembered for landing
in Newfoundland in 1583 and claiming it for England. On the return
trip, he refused to abandon his frigate, the Squirrel, which was
overloaded and in danger of sinking. An accompanying vessel, the
Golden
Hind, came within shouting distance of the Squirrel, and its
captain yelled for Sir Gilbert to transfer ships. Sir Gilbert, who
was sitting near the stern reading a book responded, "We are as near to
heaven by sea as by land." Those are his last recorded words. |
| Gipp,
George (1895-1920) |
|
"Win one for the Gipper!" |
|
George Gipp was a U.S. football player who led the University of Notre
Dame to unbeaten seasons in 1919 and 1920. In December, 1920, he
contracted pneumonia after a serious throat infection and died at the height
of his college football fame. On his deathbed, he told his coach,
Knute Rockne, that "Some day, when things look real tough for Notre Dame,
ask the boys to go out there and win one for the Gipper." Eight years
later at the end of a terrible season, Notre Dame was about to play the
Army team. Trailing at half-time, Rockne gathered the players and
for the first time ever related Gipp's last words in an attempt to inspire
the team, "I've never used Gipp's request until now. This is that
game. It's up to you." The team went on to beat Army by the
score of 12 to 6. |
|
President Ronald Reagan had been a radio sports broadcaster long before
he became a movie actor. The Gipp story had always fascinated Reagan,
and when he heard that Warner Brothers was planning a film on the life
of Knute Rockne, he lobbied hard to play the part. Reagan did, of
course, win the role and uttered the famous words that are part of movie
history. Many, including President Reagan, have suggested that Rockne
invented the story as it was not unusual for the coach to fabricate dramatic
tales to rally his players. |
|
For more information:
The George
Gipp Memorial |
|
Recommended reading:
The
Life and Times of George Gipp by George Gekas |
| Goethe,
Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832) |
|
"Open the second shutter so that more light may come in." |
|
Goethe, a German writer, biologist, and scholar, was a literary leader
of the German Sturm and Drang period. Although he produced a large
number of novels, poems, and plays, his fame rests primarily on the poetic
drama, Faust. His last words were recorded by a disciple,
Johann Peter Eckermann, who was present at Goethe's death. Often
Goethe's last words are quoted as a spiritualized request--"More Light!"--for
understanding. Some have suggested that Goethe's actual last words
were addressed to his daughter-in-law, "Come, my little daughter, and give
me you little paw." |
|
For more information:
Goethe Ring |
|
Recommended reading:
Faust
by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe |
| Gordon,
George, Lord Byron (1788-1824) |
|
"Good night." |
|
Lord Byron was one of the most widely read and notorious poets of his
era, and many believe that some of his works, especially Don Juan,
are autobiographical. He was forced to flee England in 1816 to escape
his debts and a nasty sex scandal involving his wife's sister. He
traveled throughout Europe until he joined the Greek war for independence
in 1823. That winter, he became quite ill, perhaps partly due to
malnutrition as he had taken to eating almost nothing but meager portions
of rice. He had not yet fully recovered when he was caught in a driving,
frigid rainstorm. He returned to his room chilled, shivering, and
with a high fever. Friends called in physicians and surgeons who
bled him with twelve leeches they attached to his temples and induced violent
diarrhea with a large dose of castor oil. All concerned were surprised
to find this treatment did not work, and Lord Byron lapsed into a deep
stupor. He eventually regained consciousness long enough to say "Now
I shall go to sleep. Good night." He died within twenty-four
hours. |
|
For more information:
The Corpse
of Lord Byron
Lord
Byron |
|
Recommended Reading:
Lord
Byron - Everyman's Poetry Series |
| Gregory,
VII, Pope (1020?-1085) |
|
"I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore I die in exile." |
|
Gregory is remembered as one of the great medieval reform popes.
Unconcerned about politics, Gregory attacked the practice of investiture
or the right of lay kings to grant church officials the symbols of their
authority. This brought him into direct conflict with the Holy Roman
Emperor, Henry IV. Henry attempted to subvert the pope and,
unsuccessfully, attempted to have him kidnapped while conducting Christmas
Mass. Henry continued to attack the pope in letters and speeches,
and Gregory finally excommunicated him. In response, Henry launched
his forces against the pope and besieged Rome from 1081-1083, finally conquering
the city in 1084. Gregory fled to the castle of St. Angelo for safety,
and Henry oversaw the crowning of one of his men, Guilbert of Ravena as
Pope Clement III. Gregory's ally Robert Guiscard soon rescued the
pope from St. Angelo, but much of Rome was destroyed in the process. The
destruction infuriated the populace, and Gregory was force to flee Rome
and take refuge in Salerno, where he died the following year. |
|
For more information:
Pope Saint
Gregory VII
Gregory
VII: Second Banning and Dethronement of Henry IV |
| Green,
Joseph Henry (1791-1863) |
|
"Congestion. Stopped." |
|
Joseph Henry Green was a distinguished 19th century British surgeon.
On his deathbed he is said to have remarked, "Congestion," after taking
an especially raspy breath. He then checked his own pulse, announced
"Stopped," and died. |
| Guevara,
Ernesto "Che" (1928-1967) |
|
"I know you have come to kill me. Shoot, coward. You are only
going to kill a man." |
|
Che Guevara was an Argentinian revolutionary who became a prominent
communist player in the Cuban Revolution. Later, he attempted to
foment similar revolutions throughout Central and South America with little
success. In 1966, he snuck into Boliva and formed a guerilla force
in Santa Clara where he was soon was wounded, captured, and executed by
the Bolivian Army. |
|
For more information:
Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Information Archive |
|
Recommended Reading;
Companero:
The Life and Death of Che Guevara |
| Guiteau,
Charles (1841-1882) |
|
"Glory hallelujah! I am with the Lord, Glory, ready, go!" |
|
Charles Guiteau's repeated offers to help James
A. Garfield's presidential campaign were all rejected as were his repeated
requests to be appointed to a federal job once Garfield was elected.
Embittered, the attorney shot the president in July, 1881, at the Washington,
DC, train station. Garfield lingered, mortally wounded, in the White
House for weeks as surgeons could not locate the bullet. Alexander
Graham Bell even tried, unsuccessfully, to find the bullet with an electromagnetic
device he had recently designed. Garfield was finally taken to the
New Jersey seaside where, after at first seeming to recover, he died in
mid-September. On the day after Garfield's death, Guiteau sent a
letter of congratulations to the new President, Chester A. Arthur, recommending
a series of secretarial appointments. Guiteau was hanged on 30 June
1882. |
|
For more information:
How
Alexander Graham Bell Helped Kill a President |
|
Recommended reading:
The
Trial of the Assassin Guiteau: Psychiatry and the Law in the Gilded Age
by Charles E. Rosenberg |
| Gwenn,
Edmund (1875-1959) |
|
"Dying is easy. Comedy is difficult." |
|
Edmund Gwenn was an English stage actor, originally discovered by George
Bernard Shaw, who became a Hollywood star in his middle age. Twice
nominated for an Academy Award, he won an Oscar as the Best Supporting
Actor in Miracle on 34th Street in his most remembered role as Santa
Claus. Gwenn continued acting well until his eighties. |
 |
Recommended viewing:
Miracle
on 34th Street |
| Hale,
Nathan (1755-1776) |
|
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." |
|
Nathan Hale was a U.S. revolutionary. In September, 1776, Hale
volunteered to spy on the British in New York City. He was betrayed
and arrested while disguised as a Dutch school teacher. After a quick
trial, Hale was hanged the next day. |
|
Some maintain that Hale's last words were "It is the duty of every
good officer to obey any orders given him by his commander-in-chief." |
|
For more information:
Nathan Hale, the
person |
| Haller,
Albrecht von (1708-1777) |
|
"My friend, the artery ceases to beat." |
|
Albrecht von Haller was a Swiss physician, scientist, and poet.
He was instrumental in the founding of the University of Gottengin where
he served as the chairman of botany, surgery, and anatomy. |
|
Haller's last words have also been recorded as "It's beating--beating--beating--it's
stopped." |
|
For more information:
Albrecht
von Haller
Haller Project
Bern |
| Halliburton,
Richard (1900-1939) |
|
"Southerly gales, squalls, lee rail under water, wet bunks, hard
tack, bully beef, wish you were here--instead of me!" |
|
Richard Halliburton was a "swashbuckling" global traveler and best-selling
adventure writer during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1939, Halliburton
and a crew attempted to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong
Kong to San Francisco as a publicity stunt. The vessel was unseaworthy
and went down in storm, apparently shortly after Halliburton sent his last
signal.. No one survived. |
|
For more information:
Past Traveler |
|
Recommended readings:
The
Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton
Richard
Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels by Richard Halliburton |
| Hamilton,
Alexander (1757-1804) |
|
"This is a mortal wound, doctor." |
|
Alexander Hamilton was one of the American founding fathers, and as
the first Secretary of the Treasury he laid the economic foundation of
the new nation. He was also thought to be arrogant and rude by many
of his contemporaries. His writings often angered others. On
evening, at a dinner party, he repeatedly insulted Aaron Burr, the current
Vice President, a candidate for Governor of New York, and a long-time political
enemy. Someone from the party relayed his remarks to the press, and
they soon appeared in print. Burr lost the election, blamed Hamilton,
and challenged him to a duel. The men met at Weehauken, New Jersey,
at 7:00 am. Burr fired first and his bullet shattered one of Hamilton's
ribs, pierced his liver, and came to rest in a vertebrae. Hamilton
fell to the ground as the surgeon approached. |
|
For more information:
A Biography
of Alexander Hamilton |
|
Recommended Reading:
Alexander
Hamilton: A Biography |
| Hari,
Mata (Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) (1876-1917) |
|
"It is unbelievable." |
|
Mata Hari was the wife of a Dutch military officer who, in 1904, left
her husband, changed her name, and moved to Paris. There she achieved
international fame as an exotic "Indian" dancer because, as she admitted,
"I could never dance well. People came to see me because I was the
first who dared to show myself naked to the public." When World War
I began, Mata Hari immediately came under suspicion as she had many German
admirers who lavished furs and jewelry upon her. He was finally arrested
in February, 1917, after the French determined her principal contact was
the German chief of intelligence in Spain. At her trial, Mata Hari
claimed she was really attempting to spy for France although no one in
the government had ever asked for her assistance. After exhausting
multiple appeals, she put on a gray dress and straw hat and faced the firing
squad at 5:00 am on 15 October. When asked if she had any last words,
she responded, "It is unbelievable." She then refused to be tied
or blindfolded. As the commands were given, Mata Hari smiled and
winked at the firing squad. Her body was then taken to a Paris hospital
to be dissected for medical research. |
|
Before facing the firing squad, Mata Hari, alledgedly told a nun who
comforted her, "Death is nothing, nor life either, for that matter.
To die, to sleep, to pass into nothingness, what does it matter?
Everything is an illusion." |
| Hegel,
Georg Wilhelm (1770-1831) |
|
"Only one man ever understood me. And he really didn't understand
me." |
|
Hegel was a German philosopher whose works, which had a major influence
upon Marxism, are notorious for their obscurity. |
|
For more information:
The Hegel Society |
| Heine,
Heinrich (1797-1856) |
|
"Write . . . write . . . pencil . . . paper." |
|
Heinrich Heine was a German poet who spent the final years of his life
in Paris where he was a key figure in radical political journalism.
By 1845, he had contracted a spinal disease that confined him to bed until
his death. He faced death calmly, and shortly before he died he told
his visitors that "God will forgive me. It's his profession."
It appears, however that Heine died wanting to leave an additional message. |
|
For more information:
Heinrich
Heine's Writings |
| Henry,
O. (William Sidney Porter) (1862-1910) |
|
"Don't turn down the light. I'm afraid to go home in the dark." |
|
O. Henry was the pen name of William Sidney Porter, an American writer
famous for his short stories, especially the Christmas favorite, "The Gift
of the Magi." His last words were part of a song that was popular
at the time of his death. |
|
For more information:
O. Henry Museum |
|
Recommended reading:
41
Stories by O. Henry by O. Henry |
| Hill,
Joe (alias Joe Hillstrom, Joel Haaglund) (1879-1915) |
|
"Don't mourn for me. Organize!" |
|
Joe Hill , a Swedish immigrant to the United States, was an itinerant
laborer, hobo, and songwriter who joined the International Workers of the
World (the Wobblies) around 1910. Some of his organizing songs, including
Casey
Jones, became world famous. In 1914, he murdered a Salt Lake
City store owner, was convicted, and sentenced to death. He became
an cause celebre among communists, socialists, and international unions,
but that didn't stop the State of Utah from executing him. His last
words became a rallying cry for radical labor. |
|
For more information:
Joe
Hill
The Wobbly Hompage |
|
Recommended reading:
Joe
Hill: A Biographical Novel by Wallace Stegner
Solidarity
Forever: An Oral History of the IWW by Stewart Bird, Dan Georgakas,
and Deborah Shaffer |
| Hilton,
Conrad N. (1887-1979) |
|
"Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub." |
|
Conrad Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico, and began his career
by renting out rooms in his adobe home. He took a job as a local
bank cashier and was so successful that he soon purchased a bank of his
own. He assumed control of a small hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919
and over the next sixty years built an international hospitality empire.
On his deathbed just before he died, Hilton was asked if he had any last
words of wisdom for the world. |
|
For more information:
Conrad N. Hilton |
| Holliday,
John Henry (Doc) (1851-1887) |
|
"This is funny." |
|
Doc Holliday was a famous U.S. gunfighter who is best known for his
friendship with Wyatt Earp and his brothers.
Holliday, a former dentist, suffered from tuberculosis. On 8 November
1887, he awoke clear-eyed after 57 days of delirium. He asked for
a glass of whisky, drank it down, and spoke his last words. After
over 15 years of gunfighting, Doc Holliday died in bed. |
|
For more information:
Gunfight at OK Corral |
|
Recommended reading:
John
"Doc" Holliday: Colorado Trials and Triumphs by Emma Walling
Doc
Holliday by Jim Myers |
|
Recommended viewing:
Tombstone
starring Kurt Russell with Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday |
| Holmes,
John (1812-1899) |
|
"John Rogers did." |
|
John Holmes was a U.S. lawyer and the brother of Oliver Wendell Holmes.
After he had lain absolutely quiet and motionless on his deathbed for an
extraordinarily long period of time, those assembled in the room suspected
that he had died. A nurse checked his pulse, found none, and announced
that she would feel his feet to see if they were warm, "If they are, he's
alive. Nobody ever died with warm feet." "John Rogers did,"
came Holmes's reply. John Rogers was a Protestant martyr who had
been burned at the stake. |
| Hubbock,
Chris (?-?) |
|
"And now, in keeping with Channel 40's policy of always bringing
you the latest in blood and guts, in living color, you're about to see
another first--an attempted suicide." |
|
Chris Hubbock was an American newscaster who killed herself during
a live broadcast in Sarasota, Florida (Larry, thanks for the location.)
in the early 1970's. If anyone has additional information about her
or the incident, please let me know. |
| Huss,
John (1372-1415) |
|
"O, holy simplicity!" |
|
John Huss was a Czech priest who became the leader of a reform religious
movement. With his attacks on the church's wealth and corruption,
he antagonized the archbishop and clergy of Prague. He was forbidden
to preach and finally excommunicated. He was tricked by the Holy
Roman Emperor, Sigismund, into attending a reform council. There,
he was arrested, condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake. |
|
For more information:
The Christian Hall of Fame:
John Huss |
|
