Presidential Assassinations in the United States
A Sobering History
Eight Presidents Lost in Office
The death of a sitting president is a chilling event that has occurred eight times in US history. The first was Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. James A. Garfield followed in 1881, falling victim to Charles J. Guiteau's gunfire. In 1901, Leon Czolgosz assassinated William McKinley, while John F. Kennedy was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.
Recent history has also witnessed presidential assassinations. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered by James Earl Ray. Richard Nixon narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 1974. And in 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. but survived the attack.
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat to the lives of our nation's leaders. While Trump was unharmed during the incident, his close encounter underscores the importance of vigilance and the need to protect those who serve our country.
Comments