Historical Attacks on U.S. Presidents and Presidential Candidates

Assassinated Presidents and Candidates

1. Abraham Lincoln
   • Date: April 14, 1865
   • Incident: Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
2. James A. Garfield
   • Date: July 2, 1881
   • Incident: Shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. Garfield died on September 19, 1881, from infections related to his injuries.
3. William McKinley
   • Date: September 6, 1901
   • Incident: Shot by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley died on September 14, 1901, from gangrene caused by his wounds.
4. John F. Kennedy
   • Date: November 22, 1963
   • Incident: Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade.
5. Robert F. Kennedy (Presidential Candidate)
   • Date: June 5, 1968
   • Incident: Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, California, after winning the California Democratic primary for the 1968 presidential election.

Presidents and Candidates with Assassination Attempts

1. Theodore Roosevelt (Candidate)
   • Date: October 14, 1912
   • Incident: Shot by John Flammang Schrank in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while campaigning for a third term as a Progressive (“Bull Moose”) Party candidate. He survived the assassination attempt.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
   • Date: February 15, 1933
   • Incident: Giuseppe Zangara fired shots at Roosevelt in Miami, Florida, but missed. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed, and several others were injured.
3. Harry S. Truman
   • Date: November 1, 1950
   • Incident: Two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, attempted to assassinate Truman at the Blair House in Washington, D.C. Torresola was killed, and Collazo was wounded and captured.
4. Gerald Ford
   • Date: September 5, 1975
   • Incident: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to shoot Ford in Sacramento, California, but the gun did not fire.
   • Date: September 22, 1975
   • Incident: Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco, California, but missed.
5. Ronald Reagan
   • Date: March 30, 1981
   • Incident: Shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan survived the assassination attempt.
6. George W. Bush
   • Date: May 10, 2005
   • Incident: Vladimir Arutyunian threw a grenade at Bush while he was giving a speech in Tbilisi, Georgia. The grenade failed to detonate.
7. George Wallace (Candidate)
   • Date: May 15, 1972
   • Incident: Shot by Arthur Bremer while campaigning in Laurel, Maryland. Wallace survived but was left paralyzed from the waist down.

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Implications

1. Lincoln’s Assassination Impact: Abraham Lincoln’s assassination by John Wilkes Booth was not just a national tragedy but also had profound political and social consequences. It occurred just after the end of the Civil War and reshaped Reconstruction policies and political alignments in the United States.
2. Garfield’s Medical Treatment: James A. Garfield’s assassination led to one of the first major uses of medical technology to locate a bullet inside a human body. Despite Alexander Graham Bell’s attempt with an early metal detector, the device was unsuccessful due to the metal springs in the president’s bed. Ultimately, Garfield’s autopsy revealed that internal infections, rather than the gunshot wound itself, led to his death.
3. McKinley’s Presidency: William McKinley’s assassination marked a shift in Secret Service protection, as he was the third president to be assassinated. His death led to the creation of more modern security protocols for the president and other government officials.
4. JFK and National Security: The assassination of John F. Kennedy prompted significant changes in how the Secret Service protected the president and led to investigations that reshaped national security policies, including the Warren Commission’s findings on the event.
5. Robert F. Kennedy’s Legacy: Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968 not only ended a promising political career but also influenced public opinion on issues such as civil rights and anti-war sentiments during a turbulent period in American history.
6. Theodore Roosevelt’s Speech: Theodore Roosevelt’s survival of an assassination attempt in 1912 was partly due to his thick, folded-up speech in his pocket, which slowed the bullet enough to prevent it from reaching his heart. He delivered his speech despite being wounded, exemplifying his resilience.
7. George Wallace’s Impact: George Wallace’s assassination attempt in 1972, which left him paralyzed, marked a turning point in American politics regarding race relations and the civil rights movement. It also highlighted the dangers of political extremism during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.

These incidents not only affected individual presidents and candidates but also had broader implications for American politics, security practices, and public perception of leadership and safety. Each event sparked changes in security measures, influenced public policy, and left a lasting mark on American history.

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