James Clyde Arwood (September 7, 1901 – August 14, 1943) was the only person executed by the United States federal government in Tennessee.

He was sentenced to death after his conviction of murdering William Pugh, a federal agent, during a raid of Arwood's illegal still.

Arwood was executed in the electric chair at age 41 in Tennessee State Penitentiary in Nashville.

Lunsford remained in the hospital for several days, during which his left arm developed gangrene and had to be amputated.

On August 24, 1938, Governor Gordon Browning commuted Arwood's sentence to 10–20 years in prison, and he was released on parole effective that day.

Approximately one year later, on November 21, 1941, federal agents arrived at Arwood's home in west Lauderdale County, Tennessee, to arrest him for operating an unlicensed still.

Before completing the arrest, Arwood requested to go back inside his house so he could bid farewell to his aged mother.

Arwood fled to the attic as officers in the posse launched tear gas bombs into the house.

Prior to 1934, only cases involving officers employed with the United States Internal Revenue Service and Customs fell under U.S. federal jurisdiction.

During her testimony, Arwood's mother detailed his chronic drunkenness, alcoholism, and patterns of strange behavior.

At one point during her testimony, she collapsed on the stand, prompting Arwood to break down in tears, in contrast to the stoicism he had maintained during the other trial proceedings.

[11] After a three-day trial,[12] the jury rejected Arwood's insanity plea and convicted him of Pugh's murder on January 11, 1942.

By a 2–1 vote, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Arwood's conviction and death sentence, with Judges Xen Hicks and Florence E. Allen affirming.

[4][15] Tennessee State Penitentiary Warden Thomas P. Gore described Arwood as a good prisoner and that Arwood made very few requests during his time on death row, only asking for a daily copy of the local newspaper so he could keep up with World War II news.

The prison physician pronounced him dead five minutes later, at 5:40 a.m.[3] The execution was supervised by Charles W. Miles, the United States Marshal for the western district of Tennessee, who was assisted by Tennessee State Penitentiary Deputy Warden Glenn Swafford.