Assassination Attempts on America's Presidents

The history of assassination attempts on United States presidents is a chilling reminder of the dangers faced by the nation's leaders. From near misses to tragic losses, each incident has left an indelible mark on American history. Here is a comprehensive list of all known assassination attempts on U.S. presidents.

1. Andrew Jackson (1835)

An 1835 lithograph of the attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson, published by Endicott & Co.

The first attempt on a sitting president occurred on Jan. 30, 1835, when Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot President Andrew Jackson outside the Capitol. Both of Lawrence's pistols misfired, and Jackson survived unharmed. During his trial, Lawrence was declared insane. Apparently, he believed he was the rightful King of England, and that "King Andrew" (Jackson) was preventing him from claiming the throne.

2. Abraham Lincoln (1865)

Based on the depiction from a mechanical glass slide by T. M. McAllister of New York, c1865-1875.

President Lincoln was the first U.S. president to be assassinated. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, and then reportedly leapt to the stage shouting "The South is avenged," according to Town & Country. Lincoln died the following day.

3. James A. Garfield (1881)

Engraving from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

On July 2, 1881, Charles J. Guiteau shot President Garfield at a Washington, D.C. train station. Guiteau was an unhappy office-seeker and a supporter of a rival faction within the Republican Party. Garfield might have survived if he'd had better — or simply modern — doctors. After months of suffering, Garfield succumbed to his injuries on Sept. 19, 1881.

4. William McKinley (1901)

McKinley entering the Temple of Music on September 6, 1901, shortly before the shots were fired.

President McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, on Sept. 6, 1901, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley died from his wounds eight days later.

5. Theodore Roosevelt (1912)

Although not an incumbent president at the time, former President Theodore Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt by John Schrank, a paranoid schizophrenic, during a campaign event in Milwaukee. Schrank shot Roosevelt in the chest, but Roosevelt went on to deliver his speech with the bullet lodged in his body. According to History.com, a note was found on the shooter that said "To the People of the United States, in a dream, I saw President McKinley sit up in his coffin pointing at a man in a monk's attire in whom I recognized Theodore Roosevelt. The dead president said — This is my murderer — avenge my death."

6. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933)

Roosevelt in the early 1930s.

On February 15, 1933, Giuseppe Zangara fired at President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami, Florida. Roosevelt was unharmed, but Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was fatally wounded. Zangara told officials that his motive was his hatred for "all officials and everyone who is wealthy," according to Town & Country.

7. Harry S. Truman (1950)

On Nov. 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, attempted to assassinate President Truman at Blair House. The attempt was foiled, but a White House police officer was killed.

8. John F. Kennedy (1963)

The Kennedys and the Connallys in the presidential limousine moments before the assassination in Dallas.

President Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the murder but was killed before he could stand trial, so his motive is not known. The event remains one of the most scrutinized in history.

9. Gerald Ford (1975)

President Ford survived two assassination attempts in September 1975. On Sept. 5, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme aimed a gun at Ford in Sacramento but did not fire. Seventeen days later, Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco but missed. Moore later revealed that they were told by Charles Manson that a violent revolution was necessary for change in the country and that shooting Ford might spark that revolution.

10. Ronald Reagan (1981)

Reagan (center) waves just before he is shot on March 30, 1981.

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot President Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in an attempt to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster. Reagan was seriously wounded but recovered. Three others, including Press Secretary James Brady, were also injured.

11. Bill Clinton (1994)

On Oct. 29, 1994, Francisco Martin Duran fired at the White House from a fence on Pennsylvania Avenue, attempting to assassinate President Clinton. Clinton was inside at the time and was unharmed. In court, Duran pleaded not guilty, using an insanity defense, and claimed he was trying to save the world from an alien "mist" connected by an umbilical cord to an alien in the Colorado mountains. The Jury did not believe him, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

12. George W. Bush (2005)

In 2005, for motives unknown, Vladimir Arutyunian attempted to kill President Bush by throwing a live grenade at him during a speech in Georgia. The grenade did not detonate, and Bush was uninjured.

13. Barack Obama (2011)

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez fired several shots at the White House on Nov. 11, 2011, aiming to kill President Obama. Court documents from his trial revealed that Ortega-Hernandez believed the federal government was conspiring against him and that Obama was "the devil." Obama was not at home at the time and was unharmed.

14. Donald Trump (2024)

The most recent assassination attempt occurred on July 14, 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old sniper, fired shots at former President Donald Trump, grazing his ear. Although Trump narrowly escaped major harm, one supporter was killed, and two others were injured. The Secret Service quickly neutralized Crooks. The investigation is still ongoing.

References: Timeline: American assassination attempts | A History of Presidential Assassination Attempts, from Andrew Jackson to Donald Trump | When Teddy Roosevelt Was Shot in 1912, a Speech May Have Saved His Life | Francisco Martin Duran: Opening Fire on the Clinton White House