| Born in 1908, Arthur Gooch came of age in the prosperous 1920s, but something changed for him and for America in 1930. The socioeconomic depravity and increased media coverage of crimes in the Thirties affected those who lived through them, and, as President Franklin Roosevelt tried to reestablish economic, social, and political balance, Gooch experienced the ills that the Depression had to offer the citizens of Oklahoma. With dust storms destroying parts of the landscape and bandits ruling other regions, Gooch, and others like him, battled against poverty, unemployment, and desperation. Facing a lack of opportunities and constant hunger, many, such as Gooch, turned to a life of crime.In this time of crisis, President Roosevelt, United States (U.S.) Attorney General Homer Cummings, and Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover skillfully used the environment of the Depression and the people's fear of nationwide lawlessness to develop a powerful federal police force, resulting in the expansion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). One particular unlawful act that influenced the attitudes of the country's citizens was the 1932 kidnapping and death of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of the American aviator and hero of the American people. The event horrified the nation and caused congress to pass multiple crime laws, including the Federal Kidnapping Act, popularly known as the Lindbergh Law. Its passage made kidnapping a federal offense. The prosecution and conviction of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, charged with the abduction of the Lindbergh baby, added to the voracity of the government's plans and to Americans' acceptance of federal involvement in state's matters.During this time of burgeoning crime, Arthur Gooch entered the pages of history by abducting two Texas policemen and transporting them into Oklahoma. With this action, Gooch violated the Federal Kidnapping Act and faced a jury and a judge who had the power to sentence him to death. With the amalgamation of the politics of the 1930s, influenced by President Roosevelt and U.S. Attorney General Cummings, and society's view of lawlessness in the aftermath of the Lindbergh baby's kidnapping and the worsening economy prompted the court to conclude that Arthur Gooch was a menace and deserved the ultimate punishment, death. As a result, Gooch became the first person to face the death penalty under the Lindbergh Law.In the wake of the passage of strict crime legislation, Gooch ascended the steps to the gallows, after receiving word that President Roosevelt had refused to grant him clemency. Socioeconomic depravity, restrictive politics, societal demand for reform, and poor personal judgment converged to spell death for Arthur Gooch on June 19, 1936. Consequently, Gooch's five-year-old son, Billy Joe, was left without a father and grew up hiding his true identity Gooch's extended family struggled to conceal their relationship to him and his only lasting legacy is one of missed opportunities and crime. |
