John Wilkes Booth

To mark the 144th anniversary of Lincoln's assassination, I'm putting the spotlight on those Americans who hate democracy enough to have named their little sons in honor of one of our nation's most notorious villains.*

I am only listing people who signed themselves "John Wilkes Booth XXX" as adults and parents of infants named John Wilkes Booth. After all, it's not the kid's fault — unless he chooses to sign it on his draft card when he's 44.

• John Wilkes Booth Green, Burnet Co., TX, b. 17 Dec 1872
• John Wilkes Booth Shipley, Searcy Co., AR, b. 9 May 1874
• John Wilkes Booth O'Brien, Gastonia, NC 
• John Wilkes Booth Franks, Harris Co., TX, d. 17 Jan 1957
  
• Wilkes Booth Lacy, Dallas, TX, b. 1894
• Wilkes Booth Walker, Houston, TX, b. 9 Sept 1941 d. 3 Jul 2008
  
• George and Nancy Sharp, parents of John Wilkes Booth Sharp, Carroll Co., GA, b. 1871
  
• Richard and Julia Wagoner, parents of John Wilkes Booth Wagoner, Tyler Co., West Virginia, b. 1873
• Wilkins and Arminda Dewees, parents of J Wilkes Booth Dewees, Hickory Hill, Illinois, b. 1870
  
• Benjamin and Missouria Emmons, parents of John Wilkes Booth Emmons, Bethel, Kentucky, b. 1865
• John and Mary Winston of Milam, Texas, parents of John Wilkes Booth Winston, b. 1865
  

I'm not really sure what to make of this example: an African American girl born in North Carolina in 1921 named "Wilkes Booth Lincoln March."

This is just a sampling — there are thousands of people in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 census records named John Wilkes Booth X, JWBooth X, J Wilkes Booth X, Wilkes Booth X, Booth X, etc.

*Obviously, there is no shortage of villains in American history. Many people have killed more of their fellow human beings than JWB ever did, and I am not claiming that he is the only baddie out there. I reserve a special level of villainhood for those who assassinate elected officials — their crimes are against the nation and the democratic process, not just against a single person or group of people.