List of assassinations and attempts on former US presidents throughout history

A look at assassinations and assassination attempts on former presidents of the United States of America

Andrew Jackson (1835): Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot Jackson outside the Capitol Building, but both of his pistols misfired.

Abraham Lincoln (1865): In 1861, the “Baltimore Plot” was an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln as he travelled through Baltimore for his inauguration. In 1864, a sniper’s bullet passed through Lincoln’s hat, narrowly missing his head, as he rode to the Soldiers’ Home. He was shot dead by John Wilkes Booth while attending a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, in 1865.

James A. Garfield (1881): Garfield was shot twice by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled office-seeker on July 2, 1881, at Baltimore and Potomac Train Station, Washington, DC.  He succumbed to his injuries on September 19, 1881, after months of suffering due to infection and inadequate medical care.

William McKinley (1901): McKinley was shot twice by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, during a public event on September 6, 1901, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York. He died on September 14, 1901, due to gangrene caused by his wounds

William Howard Taft (1909): A plot to assassinate Taft in El Paso Texas was foiled.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933): Giuseppe Zangara fired shots at Roosevelt’s car, missing the president-elect but fatally wounding Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.

Harry S. Truman (1950): Two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate Truman at Blair House.

John F. Kennedy (1963): In 1960, Richard Pavlick planned to blow up Kennedy’s car with explosives but abandoned the plot. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. The assassination took place at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, as Kennedy was riding in a presidential motorcade. Kennedy was struck in the back and head. 

Gerald Ford (1975): Two separate attempts were made on Ford’s life in California, both by women.

Ronald Reagan (1981): John Hinckley Jr. shot and seriously wounded Reagan outside a Washington hotel.

George H.W. Bush (1993): A plot to assassinate Bush during his visit to Kuwait was foiled.

Bill Clinton (1994): Francisco Martin Duran fired shots at the White House from outside the fence.

George W. Bush (2005): A grenade was thrown at Bush during a speech in Tbilisi, Georgia, but failed to detonate.

Plot to kill former US presidents

1. In 1993, there was a plot to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush during his visit to Kuwait. Iraqi intelligence services were behind this attempt, which involved a car bomb. The plot was foiled when Kuwaiti authorities arrested 17 people allegedly involved.

2. In 2005, while no longer president but still in office, George W. Bush was the target of an assassination attempt in Tbilisi, Georgia. A grenade was thrown at the stage where he was speaking, but it failed to detonate due to being wrapped too tightly in a handkerchief.

3. Theodore Roosevelt, though not a sitting president at the time, was shot in 1912 while on the campaign trail as a former president running for a new term. He survived the attempt and even delivered an 84-minute speech before seeking medical attention.

Since 1965, all former presidents have received Secret Service protection for life after leaving office. This was briefly changed in 1997 to limit protection to only ten years after leaving office, but President Obama and Congress reinstated lifetime protection in 2012.

(This story has been auto-generated from GOLOCAL Prov News)