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Assassinations carried out againstAmerican politicians occurred as early as the 19th century, the earliest of which is believed to have been carried out againstDavid Ramsay in 1815. Since then, several American politicians have been assassinated while being elected or appointed to office, or were candidates for public office. Out of these, four werepresident of the United States, the earliest of which beingAbraham Lincoln in 1865 and the most recent beingJohn F. Kennedy in 1963.[1] There are 61 assassinated American politicians listed. The most common method of homicide was with one or more gunshots.
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Year | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln |  | Republican |
| Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C. | John Wilkes Booth | Lincoln's defeat of theConfederate States of America | [2] |
Main article:Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Lincoln was attending a play atFord's Theatre five days after the surrender of Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee in theAmerican Civil War. Booth, a well-known actor and a Confederate sympathizer, was allowed into the president's box where he waited at the back until the audience laughed, hoping it would mask the sound of his gun. He shot Lincoln in the back of the head with a pistol. He then drew a knife and slashed at MajorHenry Rathbone. Booth leapt from the box onto the stage where he broke his leg, shouted "sic semper tyrannis", and then fled to his horse. An unsuccessful attack on Secretary of StateWilliam H. Seward took place simultaneously. Lincoln was taken to a boarding house across the street where he died nine hours later. Booth was found by soldiers on April 27. Wielding a gun and refusing to surrender, Booth was shot and killed by SergeantBoston Corbett. Eight co-conspirators were tried for Lincoln's assassination and found guilty by a military commission. | |||||||
| James A. Garfield |  | Republican |
| Washington, D.C. | Charles J. Guiteau | Assailant was refused apatronage appointment | [3] |
Main article:Assassination of James A. Garfield Garfield arrived at a railroad station on a visit to his ill wifeLucretia Garfield. Guiteau approached Garfield from behind and shot him three times with a pistol. Several doctors arrived to treat the wound, but their actions worsened and contaminated it. Garfield was brought to the White House to receive further treatment, remaining in critical condition and developingsepsis over the following weeks as doctors kept exacerbating the wound. He was brought toElberon, New Jersey, in September to escape Washington's warm climate. He died from his wound days later. Guiteau was hanged on June 30, 1882. | |||||||
| William McKinley |  | Republican |
| Pan-American Exposition inBuffalo, New York | Leon Czolgosz | Anarchism | [4] |
Main article:Assassination of William McKinley McKinley was shaking hands with visitors at thePan-American Exposition when he was approached by Czolgosz. Czolgosz's hand was bandaged, under which he concealed a revolver. He shot McKinley twice before he was apprehended by guards and members of the crowd. McKinley was brought into surgery at the exposition's medical facility and partially recovered while staying at the home ofJohn G. Milburn. His condition then declined and he developedgangrene. McKinley died eight days after he was shot. Czolgosz confessed to the killing and said that it was his "duty". He was executed byelectric chair on October 29, 1901. | |||||||
| John F. Kennedy |  | Democratic | November 22, 1963 | Dallas, Texas | Lee Harvey Oswald | Disputed motive | [5] |
Main article:Assassination of John F. Kennedy Kennedy was riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, when Oswald set up a sniper's nest on the sixth floor of a warehouse. Kennedy was in an open convertible, and Oswald fired at Kennedy three times with a rifle. The third shot struck Kennedy's skull, releasing brain matter from his head. He was taken to a hospital with minimal signs of life and died half an hour later. Oswald fled from the scene and killed OfficerJ. D. Tippit with a revolver when he was approached as a potential suspect. Police apprehended Oswald two hours after the assassination. As Oswald was being escorted through the police department two days later, businessmanJack Ruby approached Oswald and shot him on live television. Oswald died two hours later. Kennedy's assassination was one of the most defining events of the 20th century in the United States, andnumerous conspiracy theories and conflicting eyewitness accounts have presented alternate explanations of how and why Kennedy was killed. | |||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josiah M. Anderson | Whig | November 8, 1861 | Former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's3rd district | Looneys Creek, Tennessee | UnknownUnionists | Having made a secession speech | [6] | |
| Delegate to the 1861 peace convention in Washington, D.C. Stabbed to death after giving a speech in favor of secession. | ||||||||
| Thomas C. Hindman |  | Democratic |
| Former U.S. Representative from Arkansas's1st district | Helena, Arkansas | Unknown assailants | Disputed motive | [7] |
| Hindman was in his sitting room with his family when a man shot him with a musket through the open window. The Republican Party was accused of assassinating him, but its members suggested non-political motives for the killing. | ||||||||
| James M. Hinds | .jpg) | Republican | October 22, 1868 | U.S. Representative from Arkansas's2nd district | Monroe County, Arkansas | George W. Clark | Hinds' support forReconstruction policies | [8] |
| Hinds was shot alongside ReverendJames Brooks while they were campaigning forUlysses S. Grant in the heavily-Democratic Monroe County. Clark caught up to the men on horseback shortly after giving them directions, shooting both men with a shotgun before fleeing. Brooks rode to town for help with minor injuries while Hinds laid mortally wounded. Hinds was taken to a doctor but died shortly after. Clark was not prosecuted for the killing. | ||||||||
| Thomas Haughey | .jpg) | Republican |
| Former U.S. representative from Alabama's6th district | Courtland, Alabama | Collins (first name unknown) | Assassin supported Haughey's opponent | [9] |
| Haughey was campaigning for reelection at a courthouse. He got in an argument and then a fistfight with Collins, a supporter of his opponent, who then shot Haughey with a revolver. Haughey died five days later. Collins was broken out of jail and never found. | ||||||||
| Edward Dexter Holbrook | .png) | Democratic |
| Former Congressional delegate from theIdaho Territory'sat-large district | Idaho City, Idaho | Charles Douglass | Argument | [10] |
| After Holbrook called Douglass—a fellow Democrat—"a liar, a coward, and an assassin", Douglass confronted Holbrook in front of the latter's law office. They spoke before drawing revolvers and shot at one another. Holbrook died from his injuries the next day. Douglass was acquitted for manslaughter. | ||||||||
| John M. Clayton |  | Republican | January 29, 1889 | U.S. Representative-elect from Arkansas's2nd district | Plumerville, Arkansas | Unknown assailant | Unknown motive | [11] |
| Clayton was staying at a boarding house in Plumerville investigating election fraud that caused him to lose his House race. Buckshot was fired through the window of his room, killing him. The assassin was never found. Clayton was later determined to be the winner of the election. | ||||||||
| José Francisco Chaves |  | Republican | November 26, 1904 | Former Congressional delegate from theNew Mexico Territory'sat-large district | Pinos Wells, New Mexico | Unknown assailant | Unknown motive | [12] |
| Chaves was dining at a friend's home when a man shot at him through a window. | ||||||||
| John M. Pinckney |  | Democratic | April 24, 1905 | U.S. representative fromTexas's8th district | Hempstead, Texas | J. N. Brown | Pinckney's support forProhibitionism | [13] |
| Pinckney was speaking during a Prohibition League event when a protestor, J. N. Brown, fired his pistol at the prohibitionists. A 30-second gunfight broke out between the groups. Pinckney died trying to stop the fight and his brother died trying to pull him back. Brown and Prohibition League leader John Mills were also killed. Brown's son was also shooting, and he was charged as an accomplice but acquitted. | ||||||||
| Huey Long |  | Democratic |
|
| Louisiana State Capitol,Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Carl Weiss | Disputed motive | [14] |
Main article:Assassination of Huey Long Long was an influential but polarizing figure in American politics, and previous assassination attempts caused him to hire bodyguards. While at theLouisiana State Capitol to give his thoughts on state legislation, Weiss approached him and shot him with a revolver. Bodyguards tackled Weiss and then returned fire, killing him. Long went under surgery and died of internal bleeding early the next morning. Many details of the killing are unknown, so various theories and alternate sequences of events have been proposed, including some that say Weiss was not the killer. | ||||||||
| Robert F. Kennedy |  | Democratic |
|
| Ambassador Hotel,Los Angeles,California | Sirhan Sirhan | Opposition to Kennedy's support for Israel | [15] |
Main article:Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Kennedy was staying at theAmbassador Hotel while campaigning for president. While cutting through the kitchen to reach his room after a speech, Sirhan Sirhan fired eight shots from a pistol, hitting Kennedy in the head. Kennedy was taken toGood Samaritan Hospital where he died 26 hours later. Congress passed a law granting Secret Service protection to major presidential contenders. Sirhan was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life in prison after California abolished capital punishment. | ||||||||
| Leo Ryan |  | Democratic | November 18, 1978 | U.S. representative from California's11th district | An airport tarmac inPort Kaituma, Guyana | Members of thePeople's Temple | Ryan's investigation ofJonestown | [16] |
| Ryan went to Guyana to investigate allegations of abuse in theJonestown settlement of thePeoples Temple movement, and he examined the facility. He learned that several members wanted to leave and brought them to the airport as he left. Members of the Peoples Temple ambushed his delegation before he boarded, killing Ryan and four others. Peoples Temple leaderJim Jones had all of his followers commit mass suicide the same day. The ambush's leader Larry Layton was acquitted in Guyana but extradited and found guilty in the U.S. | ||||||||
| Allard K. Lowenstein |  | Democratic | March 14, 1980 | U.S. representative from New York's5th district (former) | New York City, New York | Dennis Sweeney | Schizophrenia-induced belief that Lowenstein was the leader of aninternational Jewish conspiracy | [17] |
| Sweeney was a student and political ally of Lowenstein. Believing that Lowenstein led a conspiracy targeting him, Sweeney entered Lowenstein's office and shot him with a pistol. Sweeney then waited in the office for the police to arrest him. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John H. Wood Jr. | May 29, 1979 | Judge of theU.S. District Court, Western District of Texas | San Antonio, Texas | Charles Harrelson | Contract killing ordered byJamiel Chagra as he was set to be tried by Wood | [18] | ||
| As a judge, Wood had a reputation for giving severe sentences in drug-related cases. Drug traffickerJamiel Chagra was set to be tried by Wood, so he hired contract killerCharles Harrelson to kill the judge. On his way to the court, Wood was shot by Harrelson in the back with a rifle, killing him instantly. TheFederal Bureau of Investigation launched a sprawling investigation, and it identified Harrelson as a suspect a few years later. Harrelson and other co-conspirators were indicted in 1982 and found guilty. | ||||||||
| Richard J. Daronco | May 21, 1988 | Judge of theU.S. District Court, Southern District of New York | Pelham, New York | Charles Koster | Assailant was the father of a plaintiff whose harassment suit was dismissed by Daronco | [18] | ||
| Daronco presided over a discrimination and sexual harassment case in 1988, in which Carolee Koster was suingChase Bank and her boss Allan Ross after she was fired. Carolee and her father Charles dedicated years of their lives and most of their savings to the case. Charles had to be removed from the courtroom during the case because of his emotional investment in the case, and Daronco ruled against Carolee on May 19. Two days later, Daronco was gardening in his yard when Charles arrived and shot him. Daronco made it into his home before dying from his wounds. Charles followed him in and then shot himself. Carolee later said she regretted not settling out of court. | ||||||||
| Robert Smith Vance | Democratic | December 16, 1989 | Judge of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Mountain Brook, Alabama | Walter Moody | Killed after the court refused to expunge a previous conviction for explosives possession from the assailant's record | [18] | |
| Vance was targeted by Moody because he was a member of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Moody had been convicted of possessing an explosive in 1972 and blamed the court for his failure to get the conviction overturned. Moody mailed a pipe bomb to Vance on December 14. Vance received it two days later and opened the package at his kitchen table. It exploded, killing him instantly and seriously injuring his wife. Moody was indicted after the FBI determined the bomb was identical to Moody's previous explosive, and he was sentenced to life in prison for the killing. | ||||||||
| John Roll |  | Republican | January 8, 2011 | Judge of theU.S. District Court for the District of Arizona | Casas Adobes, Arizona | Jared Lee Loughner | Attempted assassination of Arizona representativeGabby Giffords | [19][20] |
Main article:2011 Tucson shooting Loughner, motivated by anti-government views, misogyny, and conspiracies, planned to assassinate Arizona representativeGabby Giffords after he had met her at one of her events in August 2007 and was angered by what he viewed as an unsatisfactory response to a question. Giffords held a constituent meeting outside aSafeway called "Congress on Your Corner" on January 8, 2011, and Loughner drew a pistol on her and shot Giffords in the head before opening fire on the crowd of people attending Giffords' event. Roll had decided about an hour before to attend the event and was shot once in the back while attempting to shield Giffords' stafferRon Barber. Roll and five others were killed, but Giffords survived. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Gordon Mein |  | August 28, 1968 | United States Ambassador to Guatemala | Guatemala City,Guatemala | Rebel Armed Forces | botched hostage negotiation | [21] | |
| Kidnapped and held as a hostage byFAR in order to mediate the release of a recently arrested guerrilla leader. When Mein tried to run, however, the rebels shot and killed him, leaving him on the side of the street with eight bullets in his back. | ||||||||
| George Curtis Moore | March 2, 1973 | United StatesChargé d'affairesfor Sudan | Khartoum,Sudan | Black September Organization | Palestinian nationalism | [22] | ||
| Taken hostage by militants from the Black September Organization following their storming of the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum, at the conclusion of his farewell ceremony as the outgoing Charge d'Affairs. Moore was among the 10 diplomats taken hostage, and was subsequently shot to death the following day. | ||||||||
| Cleo A. Noel Jr. | March 2, 1973 | United States Ambassador to Sudan | Khartoum,Sudan | Black September Organization | Palestinian nationalism | [23] | ||
| Taken hostage by militants from the Black September Organization following their storming of the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum, where a farewell ceremony for the outgoing Charge d'AffairsGeorge Curtis Moore had concluded. Noel was among the 10 diplomats taken hostage and was subsequently wounded by the taking The following day, the hostage takers shot Noel to death. | ||||||||
| John Patterson | March 22, 1974 (disappearance) | United States Vice Consul | Hermosillo, Mexico | Bobby Joe Keesee | Ransom | [24] | ||
| Patterson was posted inHermosillo by theU.S. Foreign Service. He was accompanied by Keesee, who had befriended him, on route to a meeting. Keesee then kidnapped Patterson for ransom. At some point, a struggle occurred as Keesee beat Patterson to death. The consul general received a note saying that Patterson had been taken hostage by the non-existent People's Liberation Army of Mexico and that they demanded $500,000 ransom. Patterson's mother took out a loan and his wife attempted to deliver it twice, but the kidnapper never arrived. The FBI suspected that it was aself-kidnapping by the Pattersons to keep the ransom money for themselves, but Keesee became a suspect after they discovered his name in the hotel registry. Keesee was arrested on May 28. He said he wrote the letter to give Patterson's wife hope but was otherwise uninvolved. Patterson's body was discovered on July 8. Keesee was sentenced to 20 years in prison and paroled in 1986, but he committed another murder in 1998 and was sentenced to life in prison. | ||||||||
| Rodger Davies |  | August 19, 1974 | United States Ambassador to Cyprus | Nicosia,Cyprus | Unknown | Unknown motive - suspectedAnti-American sentiment | [25] | |
| Following theTurkish invasion of Cyprus, and American non-intervention regarding the incursion,multiple riots broke out in Cyprus. During one such demonstration, Davies, was shot by a sniper. Cypriot embassy secretary Antoinette Varnava attempted to aid Davies but was subsequently shot in the head. | ||||||||
| Francis E. Meloy Jr. | June 16, 1976 | United States Ambassador to Lebanon | Beirut,Lebanon | Unknown | Unknown- suspectedPalestinian nationalism | [26] | ||
| Meloy, the incoming U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, accompanied byRobert O. Waring, the U.S. Economic Counselor, was on his way to present his credentials to the new Lebanese President-electElias Sarkis, before being kidnapped by members of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as they crossed theGreen Line. Their bodies were subsequently found in a garbage dump near the beach inRamlet al-Baida. | ||||||||
| Adolph Dubs | February 14, 1979 | United States Ambassador to Afghanistan | Kabul,Democratic Republic of Afghanistan | Unknown | Botched hostage rescue | [27] | ||
| Abducted on his drive to the U.S. embassy by four armed men who subsequently took him to theKabul Grand Hotel. The abductors then announced demands against theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan calling for the release of "one or more religious or political prisoners"; the identity of whom is still unknown. No demands were made of the American Government. Ignoring requests by the American Government to wait and negotiate his release as to not endanger Dubs' life, Afghan Police initiated a rescue effort on the advice of theSoviet Government. Following a sole gunshot at the end of the morning, Afghan police stormed the hotel room and a shootout emerged, with Dubs found dead from a shot to the head afterwards. | ||||||||
| J. Christopher Stevens |  | Democratic | September 11, 2012 | Ambassador to Libya | Benghazi, Libya | Disputed | Unknown motive | [28] |
Main article:2012 Benghazi attack Approximately 80 militantsattacked an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012. The building was struck with explosives and lit on fire, and Stevens was found dead after the attack ended.Three other Americans at the facility were also killed. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Bent |  | Independent | January 19, 1847 | Governor of theNew Mexico Territory | Taos, New Mexico | Tomás Romero;Pablo Montoya | Part of theTaos Revolt; opposition to American presence in New Mexico | [29] |
| Bent was appointed governor of the New Mexico Territory, which was part of Mexico until itwas occupied by the United States. Several Hispanic and Native American residents of Taos and the nearby settlementTaos Pueblo attacked Bent in his home. He refused to act in his own defense, believing the assailants to be his friends. They shot him with arrows in the face and stomach, slashed his hands and wrists, shot him with firearms after he tried to escape outside, and scalped him. This was followed by a series of attacks over the following weeks, theTaos Revolt. Some of the assailants were hanged for the killings. Bent was succeeded byDonaciano Vigil. | ||||||||
| Edwin Stanton McCook |  | Republican | September 11, 1873 | Actinggovernor of theDakota Territory | Yankton,Dakota Territory | Peter Wintermute | Argument | [30] |
| McCook was the Secretary of the Dakota Territory and served as acting governor. In March 1873, he got into an argument with banker Peter Wintermute about the reappointment of GovernorJohn A. Burbank. The men then encountered each other in September during a meeting about theDakota Southern Railroad where they argued again. Wintermute insulted McCook and suggested shooting him, so McCook beat Wintermute. Wintermute left and returned to the meeting three times. McCook was present the third time, and Wintermute shot him in the chest with a pistol. He beat Wintermute again while bleeding out. McCook was then taken to his hotel where he died the next morning. Eyewitness accounts varied significantly, causing enough doubt that Wintermute was acquitted. | ||||||||
| William Goebel |  | Democratic |
| Governor of Kentucky | Frankfort, Kentucky | Unknown assailant | Unknown motive | [31] |
| Goebel lost the1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election but challenged it as fraudulent. He arrived at theOld State Capitol on January 30, 1900, to hear a committee's findings on election fraud. As Goebel approached the building, he was shot in the chest with a rifle. Goebel was brought back to his hotel. The committee determined that the election had been fraudulent and declared him the winner, which Democratic legislators voted to affirm on January 31. He was sworn in as governor on his deathbed the same night. Goebel died on February 3, and party leaders negotiated an agreement on February 6 in which Goebel was recognized as the winner and his running mate Lieutenant GovernorJ. C. W. Beckham succeeded him. The assassin was never identified. | ||||||||
| Frank Steunenberg |  | Democratic | December 30, 1905 | FormerGovernor of Idaho | Caldwell, Idaho | Albert Horsley | Opposition to Steunenberg's labor policy | [32] |
| Steunenberg was killed by a bomb planted on his front gate by minerAlbert Horsley on December 30, 1905. Steunenberg had been elected governor of Idahoin 1896 but became unpopular with the mining union and chose not to run for reelection in 1900. The bomb exploded when Steunenberg opened the gate, and he died shortly after. Horsley was arrested, having already been involved with a previous bombing. He confessed and implicated three leaders of theWestern Federation of Miners. They were arrested but not convicted of any charges. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Year | Office | Location | Assassin | Suspected motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Ramsay | .jpg) |
| Former president of theSouth Carolina Senate | Charleston, South Carolina | William Linnen | Assailant retaliated after Ramsay deemed him insane | [33] | |
| Ramsay had been asked to evaluate Linnen's mental state and determined him insane, sending him to prison. Linnen was eventually released and made threats against Ramsay, who did not take them seriously. On May 6, 1815, Linnen walked past Ramsay holding a handkerchief. He then turned around, drew a pistol from beneath it, and shot Ramsay three times in the back. Ramsay was brought to his home where he insisted that Linnen was not in control of his actions and should not be considered guilty. He died two days later. | ||||||||
| Charles C. P. Arndt |  | Whig | February 11, 1842 | Member of the Council of theWisconsin Territory | Madison, Wisconsin | James Russell Vineyard | Argument | [34] |
| Arndt was in the Wisconsin Territory council chamber when he engaged in a fight with Vineyard, a fellow councilman. The two were friends despite being political opponents, but they fell into a heated argument over the nomination of a Grant County sheriff. Vineyard called Arndt a liar and it appeared they were going to fight, so the presiding officer ordered that they separate. Vineyard confronted Arndt again when the meeting adjourned, and Arndt struck Vineyard. Vineyard responded by drawing a pistol and shooting Arndt in the chest. Arndt died within minutes. Vineyard was arrested and resigned from his seat, but the council rejected his resignation so it could expel him. He was acquitted of manslaughter, prompting outrage from his opponents and accusations of corruption. | ||||||||
| James Strang |  | Democratic |
| Member of theMichigan House of Representatives | Beaver Island, Michigan | Hezekiah McCulloch, Thomas Bedford, and Alexander Wentworth | Opposition to Strang's religious leadership | [35] |
| Strang was the leader ofhis own sect ofMormonism, proclaiming himself its king. Three men who opposed Strang, each for their own reasons, formed a plot to kill him. They were led by McCulloch, a former friend of Strang's. They allied with CaptainCharles H. McBlair of theUSSMichigan, who docked at Beaver Island and summoned Strang to board the ship. When Strang prepared to board, Bedford and Wentworth emerged from behind stacks of cordwood and shot Strang twice in the back of the head. After he fell to the ground, they shot him once in the back and struck him in the face with their guns. They fled toMackinac County aboard the USSMichigan with McCulloch and their respective families. Here their actions were celebrated. They were taken to jail, but the doors were left unlocked so they could leave and no further investigation occurred. Strang died from his wounds weeks later, and the Mormon community of Beaver Island was forcibly displaced. | ||||||||
| Joseph Adkins | Republican | May 10, 1869 | Member of theGeorgia State Senate | Dearing, Georgia | Ellis Adams (Ku Klux Klan) | Attacks on Republicans | [36][37] | |
| White politician who supported civil rights for African Americans, becoming an enemy of the Klan shortly after they had murderedGeorge Ashburn. Arrived at Dearing railroad depot on his return fromWashington, D.C., where he had been leader of a delegation to counter Klan violence and request military support. Adkins was intercepted by a mob who stole his horse and buggy, shot and left him for dead. He was discovered by his wife and daughter, who attempted to transport him home; however, he died enroute. Adkins had previously reported Ellis Adams for various crimes. | ||||||||
| John W. Stephens | Republican | May 21, 1870 | Member of theNorth Carolina Senate | Yanceyville, North Carolina | Caswell County chapter of theKu Klux Klan | Attacks on Republicans | [38] | |
| Stephens sat in on a Conservative meeting where he was received with hostility over his support forReconstruction. He was allowed to sit, but he was accused of being a spy for the Republicans. Former county sheriff Frank Wiley spoke to Stephens, and the two went into the courthouse's basement where he was ambushed and killed by theKu Klux Klan. A search party was formed that evening when he did not return home, and his body was found by his brother the following morning. In response to Stephens' killing and other Ku Klux Klan activities, GovernorWilliam Woods Holden declared martial law to combat the group, triggering theKirk–Holden war. John Lea, the leader ofCaswell County's Ku Klux Klan chapter at the time, confessed to orchestrating Stephens' assassination in 1919. | ||||||||
| Elisha G. Johnson |  | Republican | July 21, 1875 | Member of theFlorida Senate | Lake City, Florida | Unknown | Unknown | [39][40] |
| Johnson was a member of the Florida Senate at a time when it was evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. While closing his store at night, he was shot and killed with a shotgun. This gave Democrats a majority in the legislature, but they denied involvement. It was one of many attacks against Republicans in Florida during this period. | ||||||||
| Charles Caldwell |  | Republican | December 30, 1875 | Member of theMississippi State Senate | Clinton, Mississippi | Several assailants | Racism | [41] |
| Caldwell was killed by white vigilantes as one of many attacks on black Mississippians. Some time after his house was vandalized and his neighbors were killed, a friend lured him into an ambush where he was shot by a mob. | ||||||||
| Louis Cardis | Republican | October 10, 1877 | Member of theTexas House of Representatives | El Paso, Texas | Charles Howard | Argument during theSan Elizario Salt War | [42][43] | |
| Cardis was one of several politicians in El Paso who tried to seize control of theGuadalupe Peak salt deposits from local Mexican–Americans. He became enemies with his former friend Howard, a district judge, and they had physical altercations on two separate occasions. Howard tried to claim the deposits for himself, and a mob captured him when he arrested two Mexican–American men for trying to access the deposits. He was released on the condition of leaving, but he returned to El Paso to kill Cardis, shooting him twice with a shotgun. Howard fled, but he returned in December to reassert his claim over the deposits and was shot by a Mexican firing squad. | ||||||||
| W. H. H. Tison |  | Democratic | December 4, 1882 | Speaker of theMississippi House of Representatives | Baldwyn, Mississippi | J. Edward Sanders | Retaliation for an attack | [44] |
| Tison was walking in front of Sanders' store when Sanders stood at the door and shot Tison with a shotgun. Tison died instantly. Tison and his brothers had beaten Sanders the previous week following a feud between Sanders and the Tison family. Sanders was arrested shortly after the assassination. | ||||||||
| Harriel G. Geiger | Greenback Party | Former member of theTexas House of Representatives | O.D. Cannon | Racism | [45] | |||
| Geiger was a black man who became a lawyer after leaving the Texas House of Representatives. He was disliked by the racist white citizens of the region. While Geiger was defending a former slave in court, the racist judge O.D. Cannon took offense to something Geiger said and shot him five times. | ||||||||
| Samuel Newitt Wood |  | Republican | June 23, 1891 | Member of theKansas Senate | Hugoton, Kansas | James Brennan | Unknown | [46] |
| Wood's friend-turned-enemy Judge Theodosius Botkin appointed Wood's enemy William O'Connor as county attorney, allowing him to persecute Wood. Wood went to Hugoton for a court appearance on one of O'Connor's charges against him despite fears that his political opponents there may harm him. Wood went into the courtroom to check the docket, and as he came out Brennan shot him with a pistol from behind. Wood ran, but Brennan pursued before shooting him again in the back and then in the head. He died fifteen or twenty minutes later. Sheriff Cann was at the court and tried to arrest Brennan, but after a standoff Cann said he would submit to Sheriff Weir ofMorton County. Botkin and O'Connor were accused by the Democratic Party and other opposition parties of orchestrating the assassination. Brennan was released when an impartial jury could not be formed, and he fled the state in fear of retaliation from Wood's allies. A new attempt to prosecute him failed when a court in Oklahoma refused to extradite him to Kansas. | ||||||||
| Albert J. Prignano | Democratic | December 29, 1935 | Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | Chicago, Illinois | Organized crime | Unknown | [47] | |
| Robbed, then shot by three gunmen on his doorstep after arriving home with his family. Former associate ofAl Capone. Various theories for motive. | ||||||||
| John M. Bolton | Democratic | July 9, 1936 | Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | Chicago, Illinois | Organized crime | Revenge linked to organized crime | [48] | |
| Shot with shotgun in back of the head following acar chase that ended at Washtenaw Avenue and Harrison Street shortly after midnight. Specific assailants not identified. Possibly killed due to being unsuccessful in assisting certain prisoners inJoliet Penitentiary in gettingparole. John's brother was Joseph "Red" Bolton, himself killed two years later in 1938, a former associate ofAl Capone.[49] | ||||||||
| Albert Patterson |  | Democratic | June 18, 1954 |
| Phenix City, Alabama | Unknown | Patterson's campaign against organized crime | [50] |
| Patterson was the Democratic nominee to beAttorney General of Alabama when he was shot three times as he was leaving his law office and getting in his car. He died minutes later. GovernorGordon Persons declared limited martial law and had state officials replace local prosecutors and investigators. Over the following months, hundreds of people connected to organized crime were indicted and the crime syndicate was dismantled. Patterson's sonJohn was elected attorney general. The assailant was never identified, but chief deputy Albert Fuller was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement. | ||||||||
| Leon Jordan | Democratic | July 15, 1970 | Member of theMissouri House of Representatives | Kansas City, Missouri | Unknown | Unknown | [51] | |
| Jordan was shot three times with a shotgun by multiple assailants while he was leaving his tavern. TheMafia is alleged to have been involved. | ||||||||
| Turk Scott |  | Democratic | July 13, 1973 | Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | Baltimore, Maryland | Unknown | Heroin trafficking | [52][53][54][55] |
| In April 1973, Scott was indicted on federal charges of having trafficked almost 40 pounds of heroin between New York and Baltimore during 1971 and 1972. On July 13, 1973, Scott was found dead in the parking garage of his apartment, having been killed by two shotgun blasts, shot several times with a small caliber handgun, and cut on the throat. An organization calling itself "Black October" claimed responsibility for Scott's killing, with an anonymous individual affiliated with the organization telling a reporter forThe Baltimore Sun specific details about the murder shortly after Scott was killed. | ||||||||
| Tommy Burks | Democratic | October 19, 1998 | Member of theTennessee Senate | Monterey, Tennessee | Byron Looper | Election | [56] | |
| Burks was assassinated by his opponent, Byron Looper, in his reelection campaign for the Tennessee Senate. Burks was driving his truck when he was shot. Looper was convicted for the killing. Burks' widowCharlotte Burks took his place as a candidate and was elected to succeed him in the Tennessee Senate. | ||||||||
| Bill Gwatney | Democratic | August 13, 2008 |
| Little Rock, Arkansas | Timothy Dale Johnson | Unknown | [57] | |
| Gwatney was shot by Johnson in the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, dying from his wounds four hours later. Johnson had entered the building and shot Gwatney after being fired from his job atTarget. Johnson led police in a car chase, and he was killed by police after he began shooting at them. | ||||||||
| Clementa C. Pinckney | Democratic | June 17, 2015 | Member of theSouth Carolina Senate | Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church,Charleston, South Carolina | Dylann Roof | White supremacy | [58] | |
Main article:Charleston church shooting Pinckney was part of a bible study group at theEmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where he was reverend when Roof entered and asked to join. Roof participated for nearly an hour before he drew a gun and began shooting people in the church. Pinckney and eight others were killed. Roof was captured in North Carolina the following morning. | ||||||||
| Melissa Hortman | .jpg) | DFL | June 14, 2025 | Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives | Brooklyn Park, Minnesota | Suspect in custody[59] | Anti-abortion violence (suspected) | [60][61] |
Main article:2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators Hortman and her husband, Mark were shot and killed in their home by a gunman impersonating a police officer. State SenatorJohn Hoffman and his wife were also shot and injured at their home in nearbyChamplin. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John P. Slough |  | Democratic |
|
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | William Logan Rynerson | Argument | [62][63] |
| Slough was responsible for swearing in members of the New Mexico legislature until the power was removed from him, and he struck the official he felt was responsible. He walked out of the resulting hearing, so Representative Rynerson introduced a joint resolution to remove Slough as chief justice. Slough referred to Rynerson as "a liar, a coward and a thief", so Rynerson confronted him. Slough refused to retract his statement, even after Rynerson drew a revolver. Slough reached for his own pistol, so Rynerson shot him in the hip, and Slough died the following morning. Rynerson was acquitted of the murder. | ||||||||
| John Milton Elliott | .jpg) | Democratic | March 26, 1879 | Judge of theKentucky Court of Appeals | Frankfort, Kentucky | Thomas Buford | Retaliation for a court ruling | [64] |
| Elliott was in front of the Capitol Hotel with Judge Thomas M. Hines when he was shot by Buford with a shotgun. Buford had invited the men to go hunting and then for a drink, but they declined. Elliott was killed instantly, and Buford turned himself in to the deputy sheriff who approached them. After his arrest, Buford explained that he had killed Elliott in retaliation for a ruling the court made against his family. Buford was sent to an asylum but escaped and fled to Indiana. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solomon P. Sharp |  | Democratic-Republican | November 7, 1825 |
| Frankfort, Kentucky | Jereboam O. Beauchamp | Sharp being a former lover of Beauchamp's wife; disputed political motives | [65] |
Main article:Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy Sharp was rumored to have had a sexual encounter with Anna Cooke, who later married Beauchamp. The couple decided to kill Sharp to defend her honor. Beauchamp went to Sharp's house early in the morning, and when Sharp answered the door, Beauchamp stabbed him in the chest with a dagger. Beauchamp was determined to be the most likely suspect, and he ultimately found guilty. On the day of his hanging, he and Cooke stabbed themselves in a double suicide, but he survived long enough to be hanged in the first legal hanging in Kentucky's history. Sharp's political allies alleged that their opponents had enticed Beauchamp to kill him. | ||||||||
| George LeBreton | March 4, 1844 (incident) | Recorder of the Provisional Government of Oregon | Oregon City, Oregon | Cockstock | Killed by a native as part ofNative American resistance to white settlement in the area | [66] | ||
Main article:Cockstock incident LeBreton was one of the members of the Oregon Provisional Government who was killed during a conflict with theWasco man Cockstock. U.S. Indian Subagent Elijah White had ordered the arrest of Cockstock, alleging that he killedMolala andKlamath men for having good relations with White. Cockstock took five Molala allies to Oregon City in response, resulting in a gunfight between Cockstock's men and White's men. Cockstock shot LeBreton as part of the conflict and then stabbed him. Winslow Anderson, another man who had a feud with Cockstock, hit Cockstock with abuttstroke and killed him. LeBreton eventually died of blood poisoning. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Smith |  | Reform | June 27, 1844 | Carthage, Illinois | The Carthage Greys | Anti-Mormonism | [67] | |
Main article:Killing of Joseph Smith Smith's opponents published a newspaper criticizing him, so he had theNauvoo Legion destroy their press. Smith declared martial law after unrest broke out, so GovernorThomas Ford ordered the arrest of Smith and his brotherHyrum. A militia, the Carthage Greys, stormed the jail and shot Hyrum. Smith injured some of the attackers with a pistol that had been smuggled to him, but he was shot as he tried to escape through the window. He was then dragged aside and shot several more times. | ||||||||
| Joseph G. Crane | June 8, 1869 | Provisional mayor ofJackson, Mississippi | Jackson, Mississippi | Edward M. Yerger | Seizure of a piano | [68][69] | ||
| Crane was stabbed to death by Yerger, a newspaper owner, on the steps of theMississippi State Capitol. Yerger was responding to the seizure of his piano, which was taken to auction because he owedback taxes. Yerger was arrested, and he was defended by his uncle, formerSupreme Court of Mississippi justiceWilliam Yerger. They filed a writ ofhabeas corpus when he was brought before a military tribunal, but it was denied, and the Supreme Court of the United States sustained the denial inEx parte Yerger. Yerger was taken into the custody of civilian law enforcement following a negotiation, but he left the state after he was released on bail and was never tried. | ||||||||
| Carter Harrison III |  | Democratic | October 28, 1893 | Mayor of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Patrick Eugene Prendergast | Assailant was rejected for appointment to a patronage post ascorporation counsel | [70] |
Main article:Assassination of Carter Harrison III Harrison was shot four times by Prendergast with a pistol. Prendergast had claimed to be "a city official" and was allowed to enter the home to meet with Harrison. Harrison's coachman came to the scene and engaged in a gunfight with Prendergast, but no one was hit and Prendergast got away. Harrison died from his wounds about 30 minutes later. Prendergast turned himself in to the police shortly after. He explained that Harrison refused to appoint him ascorporation counsel. After debate over whether he was sane, Prendergast was sentenced to death and hanged the following July. | ||||||||
| Hale Johnson | _(10506934603)_(1).jpg) | Prohibition | November 4, 1902 | Mayor ofNewton, Illinois;vice presidential candidate | Bogota, Illinois | Harry Harris | Killed while attempting to collect a debt owed to him by Harris | [71][72] |
| Johnson had gone to collect a debt following a court case that he had prosecuted against Harris. When the deputy sheriff accompanying him seized Harris's wagon, Harris killed Johnson with a shotgun. Harris was apprehended by the Newton city marshal, but he poisoned himself and died and before he could be taken to jail. | ||||||||
| Anton Cermak |  | Democratic |
| Mayor of Chicago | Miami, Florida | Giuseppe Zangara | Anti-capitalism; intended attack onFranklin D. Roosevelt | [73] |
| Cermak met with president-electFranklin D. Roosevelt during a speech in Miami when Zangara fired five gunshots at them from the crowd. Missing Roosevelt, Zangara hit Cermak and four other people. Cermak was hospitalized and began to recover, but he died ofsepsis weeks later. The other four victims survived, and Zangara was executed by electric chair on March 20. | ||||||||
| Louis F. Edwards | Democratic | November 15, 1939 | Mayor ofLong Beach, New York | Long Beach, New York | Alvin Dooley | Retaliation for disciplinary action and losing reelection | [74] | |
| Edwards came into conflict with Dooley, president of the police union, after Dooley criticized his heavy-handed approach on crime. Edwards responded by demoting Dooley from his position on the motorcycle squad and ensuring Dooley lost his reelection as union president to Edwards' bodyguard James Walsh. When Dooley was assigned to a police booth outside of Edwards' house, Edwards smiled as he and Walsh walked by. Dooley responded by shooting Edwards with a revolver. Walsh tried to stop Dooley and was shot and injured during the scuffle. Dooley then went to where Edwards lay and shot him two more times in the back. He turned himself in and served ten years in prison. | ||||||||
| George Moscone |  | Democratic | November 27, 1978 | Mayor of San Francisco | San Francisco, California | Dan White | Moscone's refusal to reinstate White | [75] |
Main article:Moscone–Milk assassinations Moscone was killed by former city supervisor Dan White, who had resigned days prior. White changed his mind and wished to be reappointed, but Moscone was considering other candidates. White went into Moscone's office, spoke to him briefly, then shot him three times with a revolver. White then killed city supervisor Harvey Milk and turned himself in. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and paroled after five. | ||||||||
| Russell G. Lloyd Sr. | Republican |
| Former Mayor ofEvansville, Indiana | Evansville, Indiana | Julia Van Orden | Mental illness, hostility toward the city | [76] | |
| Lloyd was shot at his home by Van Orden following an argument, months after his term ended. Van Orden believed that Lloyd was still the incumbent mayor and was angry with the city government. Lloyd died after spending two days comatose, while Van Orden was declared insane and sentenced to 40 years. | ||||||||
| Mike Swoboda |
| Mayor ofKirkwood, Missouri | Kirkwood, Missouri | Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton | Retaliation for municipal fines | [77][78] | ||
Main article:Kirkwood City Council shooting Swoboda was killed during an attack on Kirkwood City Council. Thornton had accumulated numerous fines and believed that the council was discriminating against him on the basis of race. He opened fire on the council with two handguns. He killed five people, while Swoboda and a reporter were injured. Thornton was then killed by police. Swoboda was shot in the jaw and the back of his head, and he died of his injuries seven months later. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Office | Location | Assassin | Suspected motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Milk | .jpg) | Democratic | November 27, 1978 | City Supervisor of San Francisco | San Francisco, California | Dan White | Milk's objection to White's reinstatement | [79] |
Main article:Moscone–Milk assassinations Milk was killed by former city supervisor Dan White after discouraging mayorGeorge Moscone from reinstating him. White had resigned from the position and then changed his mind, but Milk suggested a different candidate to Moscone. White entered city hall and shot Moscone with a revolver. Before anyone realized that Moscone was dead, White asked Milk for a private conversation and then shot him as well. White then turned himself in. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and paroled after five. | ||||||||
| James E. Davis | Democratic | July 23, 2003 | New York City Councilman | New York City | Othniel Askew | Assailant was a prospective electoral challenger | [80] | |
| Davis had befriended Askew after convincing him not to run for Davis's seat on the city council. Davis invited Askew to join him at city hall in the visitor's gallery, where Askew smuggled in a pistol and shot Davis, killing him. A security officer then shot and killed Askew. | ||||||||
| Eunice Dwumfour | Republican | February 1, 2023 | Member of the Sayreville Borough Council | Sayreville, New Jersey | Rashid Ali Bynum | [81][82] | ||
| Dwumfour was found dead in her car with gunshot wounds. Bynum, a former member of Dwumfour's congregation as a priest, was arrested for her murder four months later. Bynum was found guilty in June 2025. | ||||||||
| Politician | Portrait | Party | Date | Location | Assassin | Motive | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George W. Ashburn | .jpg) | Republican | March 31, 1868 | Columbus, Georgia | Several unknown assailants | Ashburn's support for African–American rights | [83][84] |
| Ashburn was shot in his home after several masked assailants broke in. Multiple groups were accused, including the Ku Klux Klan, conservatives, or spurned allies who wished to seize influence from Ashburn. He had been preparing to campaign for a seat in the United States Senate, and he was previously a delegate to theGeorgia Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868. | |||||||
| George Lincoln Rockwell | .jpg) | American Nazi | August 25, 1967 | Arlington, Virginia | John Patler | Retaliation for the assailant's expulsion from the Nazi Party | [85] |
| Rockwell was shot twice by Patler while getting in his car at a laundromat. Patler, who was firing a pistol from a shopping mall roof, was a Nazi Party member whom Rockwell had expelled months before. Rockwell's body was stolen by the Nazi Party and cremated, and Patler was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder and released after 10. | |||||||
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