- Dec 1 Joseph Lippens, Belgian official in Congo, murdered at 37 during the Congo Arab war
- Dec 1 Lucius E. Polk, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 59
- Dec 2 Jay Gould, American railroad developer and speculator, dies at 56
- Dec 3 Afanasy Fet, Russian poet, dies at 71
- Dec 3 William Bonaparte, grandson of Lucien, dies
Werner von Siemens (1816-1892)
Dec 6 German inventor (siemens electrical conductance unit) and industrialist (Siemens corporation), dies at 75
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide