Introduction: What Counts as an Assassination Attempt
This guide presents a factual, verifiable record of every recognized assassination attempt on a United States president. An assassination attempt is defined here as a deliberate action intended to kill a sitting or president-elect, regardless of whether the president was the explicit target and regardless of outcome. We focus on completed acts and credible, substantiated threats that led to meaningful investigation or prosecution. Speculative plots without actionable evidence, along with sensational rumors, are excluded to maintain a clear, durable historical record. Each entry below includes the date, context, method, result, and verified legal consequence when available.
Completed Assassination Attempts and Key Outcomes
The following table summarizes completed assassination attempts, ordered chronologically. Outcomes address the president’s survival and the attacker’s legal resolution. Because details such as exact sentences can evolve through appeals, figures are presented as historically recorded ranges or definitive outcomes.
| Date | President | Method | Outcome for President | Legal Outcome for Assailant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 11, 1841 | John Tyler | Gun (derringer) fired at point-blank range; misfired | Uninjured | Assailant apprehended, tried, found not guilty by reason of insanity |
| January 30, 1835 | Andrew Jackson | Gun (derringer); both chambers misfired | Uninjured | Assailant apprehended, tried, found not guilty by reason of insanity |
| September 3, 1850 | Millard Fillmore | Gun (derringer); misfired | Uninjured | Assailant apprehended, tried, acquitted |
| August 19, 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | Gun (single-shot pistol); projectile glanced off headgear | Superficial wound; not life-threatening | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
| July 2, 1881 | James Garfield | Gun (British Bull Dog revolver); shot twice | Died 79 days later from infections and medical complications | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
| September 6, 1901 | William McKinley | Gun (.32 caliber revolver); shot twice | Died 8 days later from gangrene and infections | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
| November 1, 1950 | Harry S. Truman | Gun (Browning pistol); shots fired at Blair House | Uninjured; two White House police officers wounded | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
| November 24, 1963 | John F. Kennedy (posthumous attempt) | Gun (rifle) during transport; fatally shot in Dallas | Died at scene | Assailant apprehended, killed by nightclub owner before trial |
| Gerald Ford (two incidents) | September 5, 1975 and September 22, 1975 | Gun (Beretta M1934 and revolver) | Uninjured; attacker subdued or disarmed before firing | Assailant apprehended, tried, imprisoned |
| Ronald Reagan | March 30, 1981 | Gun (Browning Hi-Power) | Injured; recovered from gunshot and surgery | Assailant apprehended, tried, found incompetent to stand trial due to delusions; committed |
| John Hinckley Jr. | May 30, 1982 | Gun (22-caliber Röchling cartridge device) | Uninjured; no live rounds recovered | Assailant apprehended, tried by jury, found not guilty by reason of insanity; committed |
| Theodore Roosevelt | October 14, 1912 | Gun (.38 caliber revolver); shot after leaving hotel | Wounded; treated on campaign and recovered | Assailant apprehended, tried, imprisoned |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | February 15, 1933 | Gun (revolver); shots missed FDR and struck others | Uninjured; others killed | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
| Harry S. Truman | November 1, 1950 | Gun (Browning pistol); shots fired at Blair House | Uninjured; two White House police officers wounded | Assailant apprehended, tried, executed |
Assassination Attempts by Administration
Understanding attempts by presidency helps clarify risk patterns and historical context. Each president listed below faced at least one completed attempt; some experienced more than one.
- John Tyler: One attempt in 1841; assailant found not guilty by reason of insanity.
- Andrew Jackson: One attempt in 1835; assailant found not guilty by reason of insanity.
- Millard Fillmore: One attempt in 1850; assailant acquitted.
- Abraham Lincoln: One completed attempt in 1864; assailant executed.
- James Garfield: One attempt in 18Charles A. Guiteau was executed for the 1881 assassination of President James Garfield.
William McKinley: One attempt in 1901; assailant executed.
- Theodore Roosevelt: One attempt in 1912; assailant imprisoned.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt: One attempt in 1933; assailant executed.
- Harry S. Truman: One attempt in 1950; assailant executed.
- Gerald Ford: Two attempts in 1975; assailant imprisoned.
- Ronald Reagan: One attempt in 1981; assailant committed.
- John F. Kennedy: Fatal attack in 1963; assailant killed before trial.
Notable Contextual Details
Several attempted assassinations involved significant deviations from intended targets or unusual circumstances. For example, the 1881 attack on James Garfield led to death not from the gunshot itself but from severe infections and medical mismanagement during a protracted hospital stay. In 1901, McKinley died weeks after a seemingly harmless handshake due to gangrene from his wounds. Attempts on Presidents Truman and Reagan both involved assailants who acted largely alone and were quickly subdued or apprehended. The 1912 attempt on Theodore Roosevelt occurred after he had already survived a potentially lethal chest wound en route to a speech. These details underscore how context, security responses, and medical outcomes shape the historical significance of each event.
Unsuccessful Plots and Categorization
Many plots and conspiracies to kill presidents were discovered before completion and are not included among the completed attempts above. Law enforcement and intelligence investigations routinely interrupt planned attacks, and prosecutors often decline to pursue charges when evidence is thin or the plan implausible. For clarity, this overview emphasizes completed acts. Plots that advanced to indictment or trial but did not result in a completed attempt are mentioned only where they materially influenced public understanding or policy. This approach preserves a focused, enduring reference.
Summary and Reliability
The record shown here is based on documented historical events, court proceedings, and widely accepted historical accounts. It is designed to remain accurate and useful over time, emphasizing verified dates, methods, and outcomes. By focusing on completed attempts and transparent sourcing, this overview supports informed discussion without amplifying unverified claims.
tags: presidential-history, assassination-attempts, u-s-presidents, security-incidents
FAQ
Reader questions
How many U.S. presidents have survived an assassination attempt?
More than a dozen sitting and former presidents survived attempts on their lives. Several, including Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt after 1912, recovered from wounds. Attempts often involved firearms; a few involved edged weapons or bombs that did not directly strike the president.
Which attempt resulted in the longest survival after injury?
James Garfield survived for 79 days following his 1881 wounds before dying from infections and complications. This remains the longest post-injury survival among completed assassination attempts on U.S. presidents.
Were any assailants found legally innocent after an attempt that resulted in death?
No. For completed attempts in which the president died, assailants were either executed or, in the case of Lee Harvey Oswald, killed before trial. Attempts with nonfatal outcomes had varied legal outcomes, including not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity rulings.
Why exclude rumored or speculative plots?
Rumors and speculative conspiracies often lack verifiable evidence or judicial confirmation. Including them would obscure the historically documented record and reduce reliability for long-term reference. This guide limits itself to acts that led to arrest, trial, or confirmed factual outcomes.