History of presidential assassination attempts in America

(Original Caption) Washington: The White House released this photograph made at the Capitol Hilton seconds before President Reagan was shot. The picture shows all four people who were shot in the assassination attempt. They are Press Secretary James Brady (third from left), President Reagan, D.C. Policeman Thomas K. Delahanty (in front of press corps at right, looking toward Reagan) and Secret Service agent Timothy J. McCarthy (R). The gunman is concealed behind officer Delahanty.

Throughout the nation’s history since its founding in 1776, several notable assassinations and attempted assassinations have occurred:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the 16th president

  • Lincoln became the first president to be assassinated when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, during a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. His advocacy for Black rights was cited as a motive.
  • Booth was later shot and killed.

JAMES GARFIELD, the 20th president

  • Garfield was assassinated on July 2, 1881, by Charles Guiteau at a train station in Washington, just six months into his presidency. Efforts to locate the bullet were unsuccessful, and he succumbed to his injuries weeks later.
  • Guiteau was executed in 1882.

WILLIAM McKINLEY, the 25th president

  • McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901, during a public event in Buffalo, New York, and died eight days later from gangrene.
  • His assassin, Leon F. Czolgosz, was executed.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, the 32nd president

  • Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt in February 1933, shortly before his inauguration, but the attack claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.
  • Guiseppe Zangara, the assailant, was sentenced to death.

HARRY S. TRUMAN, the 33rd president

  • Truman narrowly escaped harm when gunmen attacked Blair House in November 1950. One White House policeman and an assailant were killed.
  • Oscar Callazo, involved in the attack, had his death sentence commuted and was later released.

JOHN F. KENNEDY, the 35th president

  • Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, during a motorcade. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime but was fatally shot by Jack Ruby two days later.

GERALD FORD, the 38th president

  • Ford survived two assassination attempts in 1975. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore each attempted to shoot him within a short period.
  • Both women were sentenced to prison.

RONALD REAGAN, the 40th president

  • Reagan was wounded on March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C., by John Hinckley Jr. during an assassination attempt. He recovered, and Hinckley was confined to a mental hospital.

GEORGE W. BUSH, the 43rd president

  • In May 2005, a grenade was thrown towards Bush during a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia. It did not explode, and the assailant was sentenced to life in prison.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, presidential candidate

  • Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt in Milwaukee in 1912 while campaigning for a third presidential term. He was protected by items in his pocket that softened the impact of the bullet.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, presidential candidate

  • Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles shortly after winning the California Democratic primary. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, remains in prison.

GEORGE C. WALLACE, presidential candidate

  • Wallace was shot and paralyzed from the waist down during a campaign event in Maryland in 1972. The shooter, Arthur Bremer, was imprisoned and later released.

These incidents highlight the vulnerability of political leaders and the impact of violence on American history.

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