List of United States Presidential Assassination Attempts 2024: Assassination attempts on United States Presidents have been rare but significant events in American history. This blog post explores the notable attempts and the circumstances surrounding them, providing insight into the risks faced by the nation’s leaders.
List of United States Presidential Assassination Attempts 2024
Here is a table listing the United States presidential assassination attempts. This table includes notable assassination attempts, detailing the presidents involved, dates, assailants, methods used, and outcomes.
| President | Date | Assailant | Method | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Jackson | January 30, 1835 | Richard Lawrence | Pistols (both misfired) | Jackson survived; Lawrence was found not guilty because of insanity |
| Abraham Lincoln | April 14, 1865 | John Wilkes Booth | Gunshot | Lincoln died the next day; Booth was killed during the capture |
| James A. Garfield | July 2, 1881 | Charles J. Guiteau | Gunshot | Garfield died on September 19, 1881; Guiteau was executed |
| William McKinley | September 6, 1901 | Leon Czolgosz | Gunshot | McKinley died on September 14, 1901; Czolgosz was executed |
| Theodore Roosevelt | October 14, 1912 | John Schrank | Gunshot | Roosevelt survived; Schrank declared insane and institutionalized |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | February 15, 1933 | Giuseppe Zangara | Gunshot (missed) | Roosevelt was unharmed; Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed; Zangara was executed |
| Harry S. Truman | November 1, 1950 | Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola | Gunfight at Blair House | Truman unharmed; Torresola killed; Collazo imprisoned, later had sentence commuted to life |
| John F. Kennedy | November 22, 1963 | Lee Harvey Oswald | Gunshot | Kennedy was assassinated; Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby two days later |
| Richard Nixon | February 22, 1974 | Samuel Byck | Hijacking attempt | Byck killed himself after failing to hijack a plane to crash into the White House |
| Gerald Ford | September 5, 1975 | Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme | Gun (did not fire) | Ford unharmed; Fromme sentenced to life in prison, later paroled |
| Gerald Ford | September 22, 1975 | Sara Jane Moore | Gunshot (missed) | Ford unharmed; Moore sentenced to life in prison, later paroled |
| Jimmy Carter | May 5, 1979 | Raymond Lee Harvey | Threatened with a starter pistol | Carter was unharmed; Harvey was detained and later released |
| Ronald Reagan | March 30, 1981 | John Hinckley Jr. | Gunshot | Reagan was seriously injured; Hinckley was found not guilty because of insanity and institutionalized |
| George H. W. Bush | April 13, 1993 | Iraqi intelligence (alleged) | Car bomb | Bush was unharmed; the plot was foiled; the U.S. launched missile strikes in retaliation |
| Bill Clinton | September 12, 1994 | Frank Eugene Corder | Plane crash into White House lawn | Clinton unharmed; Corder died in the crash |
| Bill Clinton | October 29, 1994 | Francisco Martin Duran | Gunfire | Clinton unharmed; Duran sentenced to 40 years in prison |
| George W. Bush | February 7, 2001 | Robert Pickett | Gunshot | Bush unharmed; Pickett sentenced to three years in prison |
| George W. Bush | May 10, 2005 | Vladimir Arutyunian | Grenade (did not detonate) | Bush unharmed; Arutyunian sentenced to life in prison |
| Barack Obama | November 11, 2011 | Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez | Gunfire | Obama unharmed; Ortega-Hernandez sentenced to 25 years in prison |
| Donald Trump | 14 July 2024 | — | Gunfire | —– |
Abraham Lincoln (16th President)
- Date: April 14, 1865
- Location: Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C.
- Assailant: John Wilkes Booth
- Outcome: Lincoln was fatally shot and died the next day.
- Details: Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, shot Lincoln in the back of the head while the President was watching a play. Booth fled but was later caught and killed.
James A. Garfield (20th President)
- Date: July 2, 1881
- Location: Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, Washington, D.C.
- Assailant: Charles J. Guiteau
- Outcome: Garfield was shot and succumbed to his injuries on September 19, 1881.
- Details: Guiteau, disgruntled over being denied a government job, shot Garfield twice. The President’s health deteriorated due to infections from the wounds.
William McKinley (25th President)
- Date: September 6, 1901
- Location: Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York
- Assailant: Leon Czolgosz
- Outcome: McKinley died on September 14, 1901.
- Details: Czolgosz, an anarchist, shot McKinley twice at close range. Despite initial signs of recovery, McKinley died due to gangrene caused by the bullet wounds.
Theodore Roosevelt (26th President)
- Date: October 14, 1912
- Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Assailant: John Flammang Schrank
- Outcome: Roosevelt survived the attempt.
- Details: Schrank shot Roosevelt in the chest, but the bullet was slowed by a glasses case and a folded speech in Roosevelt’s pocket. Roosevelt continued his speech with the bullet still in his body, famously stating, “It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President)
- Date: February 15, 1933
- Location: Miami, Florida
- Assailant: Giuseppe Zangara
- Outcome: Roosevelt was unharmed; Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed.
- Details: Zangara fired five shots at Roosevelt but missed, hitting Cermak instead. Zangara, who claimed hatred for all leaders, was executed for his crime.
Harry S. Truman (33rd President)
- Date: November 1, 1950
- Location: Blair House, Washington, D.C.
- Assailants: Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola
- Outcome: Truman was unharmed.
- Details: The Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to storm Blair House, where Truman was staying. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of Torresola and a guard. Collazo was wounded and later imprisoned.
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John F. Kennedy (35th President)
- Date: November 22, 1963
- Location: Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas
- Assailant: Lee Harvey Oswald
- Outcome: Kennedy was fatally shot.
- Details: Oswald shot Kennedy from a nearby building as the President’s motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Oswald was captured but killed two days later by Jack Ruby.
Richard Nixon (37th President)
- Date: February 22, 1974
- Location: Air Force One at Baltimore/Washington International Airport
- Assailant: Samuel Byck
- Outcome: Nixon was unharmed.
- Details: Byck planned to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House. He shot and killed a police officer and attempted to hijack the plane but was thwarted by security and committed suicide before taking off.
Gerald Ford (38th President)
- Date: September 5, 1975
- Location: Sacramento, California
- Assailant: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme
- Outcome: Ford was unharmed.
- Details: Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, pointed a gun at Ford but was restrained by Secret Service agents before she could fire.
- Date: September 22, 1975
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Assailant: Sara Jane Moore
- Outcome: Ford was unharmed.
- Details: Moore fired a shot at Ford but missed. A bystander grabbed Moore’s arm, deflecting the shot.
Jimmy Carter (39th President)
- Date: May 5, 1979
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Assailant: Raymond Lee Harvey
- Outcome: Carter was unharmed.
- Details: Harvey, armed with a starter pistol, was arrested after confessing to a plot to shoot Carter during a speech. He claimed to be part of a conspiracy, but no evidence was found.
Ronald Reagan (40th President)
- Date: March 30, 1981
- Location: Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.
- Assailant: John Hinckley Jr.
- Outcome: Reagan was wounded but recovered.
- Details: Hinckley shot Reagan and three others, including Press Secretary James Brady. Reagan was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off the limousine, puncturing his lung. He recovered after surgery, while Brady was left permanently disabled.
George H.W. Bush (41st President)
- Date: April 13, 1993
- Location: Kuwait
- Assailants: Iraqi intelligence agents
- Outcome: Bush was unharmed.
- Details: A plot to assassinate Bush during a visit to Kuwait was foiled by Kuwaiti authorities. The plot involved a car bomb, and the agents were captured before they could execute the plan.
Bill Clinton (42nd President)
- Date: September 12, 1994
- Location: White House, Washington, D.C.
- Assailant: Frank Eugene Corder
- Outcome: Clinton was unharmed.
- Details: Corder, in a stolen Cessna plane, crashed into the South Lawn of the White House. He intended to hit the White House but missed. Corder died in the crash.
2nd Time:
- Date: October 29, 1994
- Location: Manila, Philippines
- Assailants: Al-Qaeda operatives
- Outcome: Clinton was unharmed.
- Details: A plot by Al-Qaeda to assassinate Clinton during his visit to the Philippines was thwarted by intelligence agencies. The operatives planned to bomb the President’s motorcade route.
George W. Bush (43rd President)
- Date: February 7, 2001
- Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
- Assailant: Vladimir Arutyunian
- Outcome: Bush was unharmed.
- Details: Arutyunian threw a live grenade at Bush during a speech. The grenade failed to explode due to a malfunction, and Arutyunian was later apprehended.
Barack Obama (44th President)
- Date: November 11, 2011
- Location: White House, Washington, D.C.
- Assailant: Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez
- Outcome: Obama was unharmed.
- Details: Ortega-Hernandez fired several shots at the White House from a distance. The bullets struck the building, but no one was injured. Ortega-Hernandez was captured and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Conclusion
These attempts highlight the dangers faced by U.S. Presidents and the crucial role of security measures in protecting them. Each incident has led to increased security protocols to prevent future attacks, reflecting the ongoing need to safeguard the nation’s leaders.
