William Buwalda

Released
Date of birth:06. 09. 1869
Date of death:06. 07. 1946
Age:76† Deceased
Gender:Male
Race:White
Era:1900s
State:California
Time Imprisoned:
1 Year 0 Days
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William Buwalda

Biography

William Buwalda was a United States Army soldier with some fifteen years of service who, in 1908, attended a lecture by the anarchist Emma Goldman in San Francisco and shook her hand afterward. For that he was court-martialed and sentenced to five years in a military prison, and sent to Alcatraz. The sentence provoked a national free-speech outcry; it was commuted after he had served about ten months. Embittered by his treatment, Buwalda returned to the War Department the medal he had been awarded for his service in the Philippines.

Cases

Alcatraz Military Prison
Charges: Military charges (conduct/association).
Sentenced: Jan 1, 1908
Sentence: Five years in military prison (Alcatraz); commuted after about ten months. Verdict as recorded: Yes — court-martialed in 1908. Charges as recorded: Military charges (conduct/association) — for attending an Emma Goldman lecture in San Francisco and shaking her hand while in uniform.
Convicted: Yes
Institution State: California
Alcatraz
Charges: Court-martial
Incarcerated: 1908
Released: 1909
Sentence: He was sentenced initially to five years at hard labor, reduced to three years, and served about ten months at Alcatraz before a presidential pardon. Charges as recorded: Court-martial for shaking Emma Goldman's hand in uniform
Convicted: Yes

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