Perry T. Ryan (born November 26, 1962) is an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

who writes books on American history. Ryan has authored eight books. These include ''The Last Public Execution in America'' (1992), the story of

Rainey Bethea Rainey Bethea ( – August 14, 1936), was the last person publicly executed in the United States. Bethea, who confessed to the rape and killing of a 70-year-old woman named Lischia Edwards, was convicted of her rape and publicly hanged in Owen ...

, who was legally hanged in

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the List of cities in Kentucky, fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is loca ...

in 1936. This book was featured on ABC's '' World News Tonight'' (

Peter Jennings Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-American television journalist. He was best known for serving as the sole anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 200 ...

), on ABC's ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of visual perception, vision, but technically rates an animal's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity depends on optical and neural factors. Optical factors of the eye ...

'' (short note by

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

), on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, and on

the History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the General Entertainment Content division of The Wa ...

. In 1989, Ryan published ''Legal Lynching: The Plight of Sam Jennings'', which chronicled a 1932 Kentucky hanging of a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. Ryan also wrote ''A Biography of Maurice F. O'Connell: The Story of An American Hero'' (1996), which celebrated the life of an American soldier of the 29th Infantry Division, who died during the liberation of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. This book was translated into French in 1998 and it has been used in the public schools of France to teach youngsters about the American contribution to the liberation of their country during the war. Ryan's other books include four genealogies and a church history. He utilizes an

expository Narrative exposition, now often simply exposition, is the insertion of background information within a story or narrative. This information can be about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. In liter ...

writing style designed for clarity.

External links

''The Last Public Execution in America''

''A Biography of Maurice F. O'Connell: The Story of An American Hero''

''Biographie de Maurice F. O'Connell''

Kentucky Attorney General

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Perry T. 1962 births Historians of the United States Kentucky lawyers Living people Writers from Kentucky American prosecutors