Five American presidents have been assassinated in office, and four of the last six have been murdered. But even those who aspire to the highest political office in the United States live dangerously. And not just since the assassination of former US President Donald Trump.
“Anyone who goes into politics,” 51 percent of Americans said in a poll, “should expect to be assassinated someday.” There are too many armed psychopaths in the US. This analysis by an American magazine dates from 1972 – and is still relevant today.
In a wheelchair after the attack
Shortly before, Alabama Governor and Democratic Party presidential candidate George Wallace had been shot and seriously wounded by Arthur Bremer during a campaign event. The attack left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. The assassination attempt was apparently not politically motivated, but rather Bremer’s desire for fame.
Two Kennedy brothers shot dead
Just four years earlier, US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, brother of US President John F. Kennedy, who was also assassinated in 1963, was shot and seriously wounded by Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Bishara Sirhan after a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy died the next day. The motive for the crime was Kennedy’s pro-Israel statements.
Long list of murders
The first on this list, however, was not necessarily known for his presidential candidacy.
On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, then a presidential candidate, was murdered by a mob while on trial in a jail in Carthage, Illinois. The reason for his arrest and probably his murder was his attack on the freedom of the press when, as mayor of Nauvoo, he published the newspaper “Nauvoo Expositor,” which in its first and only issue criticized him and reported on the Mormon society he had founded. He was the first American presidential candidate to be assassinated during the campaign.
The assassination of Teddy Roosevelt is also well-known. He was president of the US from 1901 to 1909 and then retired from politics. In 1912, ‘The Bull Moose’, as Roosevelt was known, wanted to return to the White House. That was certainly possible at the time. The first American president, George Washington, advised his successors not to serve more than two terms. It was not until 1951 that the 22nd amendment to the Constitution limited the presidential term to two terms.
On October 14, 1912, Roosevelt was shot during a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As he greeted the crowd outside the Gilpatrick Hotel, bartender John Schrank shot him at close range. Schrank’s .32-caliber bullet aimed directly at Roosevelt’s heart.
However, the bullet did not fatally wound Roosevelt, as the shot was muffled by a glasses case and a folded manuscript.
The manuscript, tucked into the breast pocket of Roosevelt’s heavy coat, contained Roosevelt’s speech for that evening. Kast was immediately arrested. His motive was that “any man seeking a third term should be shot.”
Roosevelt suffered only a flesh wound and delivered his speech—with the bullet still lodged in his body. After a few words, the former “Rough Rider” pulled the torn and bloodstained manuscript from his breast pocket and declared, “You see, it takes more than one bullet to kill a bull elk. Roosevelt spoke for an hour and then rode to the hospital. He was defeated in the election by Woodrow Wilson.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
