Nathaniel Gordon

Nathaniel Gordon (February 6, 1826 – February 21, 1862) was the only slave trader in the U.S. to be tried, convicted, and executed for being "engaged in the slave trade," under the Piracy Law of 1820.
Career.
Gordon was born in Portland, Maine. He went into shipping and eventually owned his own ship, "Erie".
On August 7, 1860, he loaded 897 slaves aboard his ship "Erie" at Sharks Point, Congo River, West Africa, "of whom only 172 were men and 162 grown women. Gordon ... preferred to carry children because they could not rise up to avenge his cruelties."
The "Erie" was captured by the USS "Mohican" 50 miles from port on August 8, 1860. The slaves were taken to Liberia, the American colony established in West Africa by the American Colonization Society for the settlement of free blacks from the United States.
Trial.
After one hung jury and a new trial, Gordon was convicted on November 9, 1861 in the circuit court in New York City. He was sentenced to death by hanging, with the execution date set for February 7, 1862.
In passing the sentence, Judge W.D. Shipman, in the course of his address to the prisoner, said:
Execution.
After Gordon's conviction, his supporters appealed to President Abraham Lincoln for a pardon. While Lincoln was well known among his contemporaries for his compassion and for issuing many pardons during his presidency, he refused to consider one for Gordon, even going so far as to refuse to meet with Gordon's supporters. As Lincoln said at the time:
Lincoln eventually issued a stay of Gordon's execution, setting the new date for February 21, 1862. Lincoln made clear that the respite was only temporary to allow Gordon time for his final preparations. In his Stay of Execution, Lincoln gave him a two-week stay of execution to "[make] the necessary preparation for the awful change which awaits him."
The evening before the execution, Gordon unsuccessfully tried to kill himself with strychnine poison, prompting the local authorities to move up the execution to noon from 2:30 p.m. due to Gordon's health.