Wekau
Who pardoned him: John Quincy Adams
What he was pardoned for: Murder
Why it was controversial: A family had been killed by members of the Winnebago Tribe as a response to Americans encroaching on their land. Though Wekau was convicted of murder along with a fellow member of his tribe, it wasn’t clear if they were the ones actually responsible. Adams feared that executing them would spark retaliation and pardoned them. However, no one was found responsible for the murder, and in a time where there was a lot of hatred for Native Americans, this wouldn’t have been a popular decision.