The following is a list of people executed in the U.S. state of Kentucky before 1972, when capital punishment was briefly abolished by the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia. For people executed after the restoration of capital punishment by the Supreme Court's decision in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), see List of people executed in Kentucky.
Historically, all executions in Kentucky were carried out by hanging in the county of conviction. In 1910, the state's execution method was switched to electrocution, with all executions legally mandated to take place within the state penitentiary in Eddyville. Kentucky partially reverted to hangings in 1920 after the electrocution of Will Lockett for the rape and murder of a young girl, with a new law stating that death sentences for rape would be locally carried out by hanging in county jail yards with at least 50 witnesses present. Executions for rape returned to electrocution with the repeal of this law in 1938.