List of assassinated American politicians
This is a list of assassinated American politicians. Individuals listed were either elected or appointed to office, or were candidates for public office.
Politician | Portrait | Party | Year assassinated | Office held when assassinated | Site of assassination | Method of assassination | Name of assassin | Suspected motive | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charles C. P. Arndt | Whig | 1842 | Wisconsin Territorial Legislator | Madison, Wisconsin (in the Old Wisconsin State Capitol) | gunshot | James Russell Vineyard | Killed during an argument over a political appointment. | [1] | |
Charles Bent | 1847 | Governor of New Mexico Territory | Taos, New Mexico (in his home) | arrows and scalping | Tomás Romero; Pablo Montoya | Targeted during Taos Revolt, a popular uprising against newly asserted US authority over the region after the Mexican-American War. | [2] | ||
Tommy Burks | Democratic | 1998 | Tennessee State Senator | Cumberland County, Tennessee (in his home) | gunshot | Byron Looper (the incumbent Putnam County Assessor) | Killed by his political opponent in 1998 State Senate race | [3] | |
Louis Cardis | Democrat | 1877 | Texas State Representative | El Paso, Texas | gunshot | Charles Howard | Killed as part of the San Elizario Salt War, a dispute over salt mining claims rooted in divisions between white and Hispanic settlers | [4] | |
Anton Cermak | Democratic | 1933 | Mayor of Chicago | Miami, Florida (while riding in a vehicle) | gunshot to lung | Giuseppe Zangara | Disputed; suspected of striking Cermak instead of intended target President-elect Franklin Roosevelt | [5] | |
José Francisco Chaves | Republican | 1904 | New Mexico Superintendent of Public Instruction | Pinoswells, New Mexico | gunshots (through the window of his home) | unknown assailant | unknown | [6] | |
John M. Clayton | Republican | 1889 | Representative-elect from Arkansas | Plumerville, Arkansas | gunshots (through the window of his home) | unknown assailant | Unknown, but killed in the context of a disputed election | [7] | |
Linda Collins-Smith | Republican | 2019 | Arkansas State Senator | Pocahontas, Arkansas (outside her home) | stabbed | Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell | Killed during an argument over money theft. | [8] | |
Richard J. Daronco | 1988 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York | Pelham, New York (in his home) | gunshot | Charles Koster | Assailant was the father of a plaintiff whose harassment suit was dismissed by Daronco. | [9] | ||
James E. Davis | Democratic | 2003 | New York City Councilman | New York City, New York (at City Hall) | gunshots | Othniel Askew | Killed by prospective challenger for 2003 Council special election | [10] | |
Henry Denhardt | Democratic | 1937 | Former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | Shelbyville, Kentucky (outside the Armstrong Hotel) | gunshots | E.S. Garr; Roy Garr | Killed by brothers of his late fiancée whom he was charged with murdering | [11] | |
Louis F. Edwards | Democratic | 1939 | Mayor, Long Beach, New York | Long Beach, New York (outside his home) | gunshot | Alvin Dooley | Edwards' political influence thwarted Dooley's re-election to post in a police union. | [12] | |
John Milton Elliott | Democrat | 1879 | Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge | Frankfort, Kentucky (after a conversation on a public street) | gunshots | Thomas Buford (an incumbent Henry County District Judge) | Assailant was brother of a plaintiff who lost a farm after Elliott dismissed motion for stay of foreclosure | [13] | |
James A. Garfield | Republican | 1881 (details) | President of the United States | Washington, D.C. (at railway station) | gunshot to spine (died three months later) | Charles J. Guiteau | Targeted after assailant was rejected by Republican officials for a patronage appointment | [14] | |
William Goebel | Democratic | 1900 | Governor of Kentucky | Frankfort, Kentucky (outside Old State Capitol) | gunshot to the chest | Unknown political opponents | Uncertain, but killed in the context of the disputed, fraudulent 1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election. | [15] | |
Bill Gwatney | Democratic | 2008 | Chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas | Little Rock, Arkansas (at his office at party headquarters) | gunshots | Tim Johnson | Unknown; multiple theories proposed. | [16] | |
Carter Harrison, Sr. | Democratic | 1893 | Mayor of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois (in his home) | gunshot | Patrick Eugene Prendergast | Killed after assailant was rejected for appointment to a patronage position as corporation counsel. | [17] | |
Mark Hasse | Republican | 2013 | Assistant District Attorney for Kaufman County, Texas | Kaufman, Texas (outside the County Courthouse) | gunshot | Eric Williams | Killed by former justice of the peace who was convicted of burglary while in office | [18] | |
Thomas Haughey | Republican | 1869 | Representative from Alabama | Courtland, Alabama (at a political rally) | gunshot | Collins (first name unknown) | Assailant was a supporter of the target's rival for the Republican nomination for the Congressional race; both men exchanged verbal insults and engaged in fisticuffs before a weapon was brandished | [19] | |
Thomas C. Hindman | Democratic | 1868 | Former Representative from Arkansas | Helena, Arkansas (at his home) | gunshots through window | Unknown assailants | Unknown; multiple theories proposed. | [20] | |
James M. Hinds | Republican | 1868 | Representative from Arkansas | Monroe County, Arkansas (while on horseback) | gunshot | George Clark | Killed by a Ku Klux Klan member as part of intimidation of Republican carpetbaggers | [21] | |
Edward Dexter Holbrook | Democratic | 1870 | Former Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Idaho Territory | Idaho City, Idaho (outside the County Courthouse) | gunshot | Charles Douglas | Killed by the brother-in-law of James Crutcher, as a result of a dispute between Holbrook and Crutcher for control of the Boise County Democratic Party | [22] | |
Elisha G. Johnson | Republican | 1875 | Florida State Senator | Near Lake City, Florida or Fernandina, Florida | gunshot | Unknown | Break 12–12 tie in Florida Senate. | ||
Leon Jordan | Democratic | 1970 | Missouri State Representative | Kansas City, Missouri (outside a restaurant) | gunshots | Unknown | Unknown, alleged to have been an organized crime contract killing | [23] | |
John F. Kennedy | Democratic | 1963 (details) | President of the United States | Dallas, Texas (while motorcading) | gunshots from sniper | Lee Harvey Oswald | Disputed | [24] | |
Robert F. Kennedy | Democratic | 1968 (details) | United States Senator from New York and candidate for Democratic presidential nomination | Los Angeles, California (at the Ambassador Hotel) | gunshot | Sirhan Sirhan | Targeted as a symbol of Western support for Israel in the Arab–Israeli conflict | [25] | |
George LeBreton | 1844 (details) | Oregon Secretary of State | Oregon City, Oregon (in his office) | gunshots | Cockstock | Killed by a native as part of Native American resistance to white settlement in the area | [26] | ||
Abraham Lincoln | Republican | 1865 (details) | President of the United States | Washington, DC. (Ford's Theatre) | gunshot | John Wilkes Booth, a renowned stage actor | Assailant was a Confederate sympathizer | [27] | |
Russell G. Lloyd, Sr. | Republican | 1980 | Former Mayor of Evansville, Indiana | Evansville, Indiana | gunshot | Julia van Orden | Assailant suffered from mental illness and believed that she was being harassed by the city; apparently targeted Lloyd under mistaken belief that he was incumbent mayor | [28] | |
Huey Long | Democratic | 1935 (details) | United States Senator and presidential candidate from Louisiana | Baton Rouge, Louisiana (inside the State Capitol) | gunshots | Carl Weiss | Uncertain, but Weiss was affiliated with a political family that opposed Long's machine | [29] | |
Allard K. Lowenstein | Democratic | 1980 | Former Representative from New York | New York City (in his office) | gunshots | Dennis Sweeney | Assailant had a history of mental illness and believed that Lowenstein had been plotting against him since their acquaintance at Stanford University | [30] | |
Edwin Stanton McCook | Republican | 1873 | Governor of Dakota Territory | Yankton, Dakota Territory (at a saloon which was being used for a public meeting) | gunshot | Peter Wintermute | Target and assailant had initially engaged in a fistfight over issue of financing the Dakota Southern Railroad; assailant returned with pistol feeling publicly humiliated by loss in this fight | [31] | |
William McKinley | Republican | 1901 (details) | President of the United States | Buffalo, New York (at Pan-American Exposition) | gunshot | Leon Czolgosz | Assailant was aligned with anarchist movement and killed target as symbol of American inequality | [32] | |
Mike McLelland | Republican | 2013 | District Attorney for Kaufman County, Texas | Forney, Texas (in his home) | gunshot | Eric Williams | Killed by former justice of the peace who was convicted of burglary while in office | [18] | |
Harvey Milk | Democratic | 1978 (details) | San Francisco City Supervisor | San Francisco, California (in his City Hall office) | gunshots | Dan White, outgoing San Francisco City Supervisor | Assailant had recently resigned from office due to financial difficulties; he soon changed his mind and sought reappointment; Moscone denied this request upon the advice of Milk | [33] | |
George Moscone | Democratic | 1978 (details) | Mayor of San Francisco | San Francisco, California (in his City Hall office) | gunshots | [33] | |||
Albert Patterson | Democratic | 1954 | Alabama Attorney General-elect | Phenix City, Alabama (walking to his vehicle) | gunshots | Unknown | Target had been elected on promise to crack down on organized crime in the state, which was strongly rooted in Phenix City | [34] | |
Clementa C. Pinckney | Democratic | 2015 (details) | South Carolina State Senator | Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina | gunshot | Dylann Roof | White supremacy | [35][36] | |
John M. Pinckney | Democratic | 1905 | Representative from Texas | Hempstead, Texas | gunshots | Unknown | Killed during riot instigated by opponents of alcohol prohibition | [38] | |
David Ramsay | 1815 | South Carolina State Senator and former Continental Representative | Charleston, South Carolina | gunshots | William Linnen | Assailant retaliated after target had deemed him insane during criminal court inquiry | [39] | ||
George Lincoln Rockwell | American Nazi | 1967 | Virginia gubernatorial candidate | Arlington, Virginia | gunshots | John Patler | Assailant was angered by Rockwell expelling him from the American Nazi Party | [40] | |
John Roll | Republican | 2011 (details) | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona | Casas Adobes, Arizona | gunshots | Jared Lee Loughner | Apparently caught in crossfire as assailant sought to assassinate Congresswoman Gabby Giffords; assailant opposed government authority | [41] | |
Tomás Romero | 1848 | Alcalde of Taos Pueblo | Taos, New Mexico (while imprisoned) | gunshots | John Fitzgerald | Killed following capture for inciting Taos Revolt; assailant retaliating for his brother's death in this uprising | [2] | ||
Leo Ryan | Democratic | 1978 (details) | Representative from California | Port Kaituma, Guyana (on airport tarmac) | gunshots | Unknown members of the People's Temple | Ambushed while investigating allegations of human rights abuses at the Jonestown compound | [42] | |
John P. Slough | Democratic | 1867 | Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court | Santa Fe, New Mexico (at his office) | gunshot | William Ryerson (an incumbent Territorial Legislator) | Killed after a public dispute in which each accused the other of corruption | [43] | |
Solomon P. Sharp | Democratic-Republican | 1825 (details) | Kentucky Attorney General, Kentucky State Senator-elect | Home in Frankfort, Kentucky | stabbed (at his home) | Jereboam O. Beauchamp | Killed over a long-standing dispute that was based partially on political differences and partially on Sharp fathering a child with the woman whom Beauchamp later married | [44] | |
Joseph Smith | Reform | 1844 (details) | Mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, presidential candidate | Carthage, Illinois (while imprisoned) | gunshots | The Carthage Greys | Founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or Mormon faith; June 27, 1844, an anti-Mormon mob murdered Joseph and his brother Hyrum while they were being held in a Carthage jail. Growing political power was a threat. | [45] | |
J. Christopher Stevens | Democratic | 2012 (details) | Ambassador to Libya | Benghazi, Libya | arson | Various members of Ansar al-Sharia and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb | Unknown | [47][48] | |
John W. Stephens | Republican | 1870 | North Carolina State Senator | Yanceyville, North Carolina (in the County Courthouse) | gunshots | Unknown, mobbed by estimated 8 to 12 men | Killed by Ku Klux Klan member as part of intimidation of Republicans | [49] | |
Frank Steunenberg | Democratic | 1905 | Former Governor of Idaho | Caldwell, Idaho (outside his home) | bomb (set at front gate of his home) | Harry Orchard; possibly others | Killed by a mine owners' association informant in an attempt to cast blame on the Western Federation of Miners | [50] | |
James Strang | Democratic | 1856 | Michigan State Representative | Beaver Island, Michigan (at a steamship terminal) | gunshot | Thomas Bedford | Killed by a disgruntled former member of the Mormon sect led by Strang | [51] | |
Mike Swoboda | 2008 (details) | Mayor of Kirkwood, Missouri | Kirkwood, Missouri (during a city council meeting) | gunshot (died seven months later) | Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton | Assailant retaliated for fines levied by municipality for code violations | [53] | ||
W. H. H. Tison | Democratic | 1882 | Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives | Baldwyn, Mississippi (while walking) | gunshots | J. Edward Sanders | Killed in retaliation for an alleged assault by his brother S. H. Tison | [54] | |
Robert Smith Vance | Democrat | 1989 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit | Mountain Brook, Alabama (in his home) | mail bomb | Walter Leroy Moody, Jr. | Killed after court refused to expunge a previous conviction from assailant's record for explosives possession | [55] | |
Samuel Newitt Wood | Republican | 1891 | Kansas Territorial Legislator, Kansas State Senator | Hugoton, Kansas (outside County Courthouse) | gunshots | James Brennan | Killed during series of armed conflicts in which residents of the two largest towns of Stevens County, Kansas fought for county seat status | [56] | |
John H. Wood, Jr. | 1979 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas | San Antonio, Texas (outside his home) | gunshot | Charles Harrelson | Contract killing ordered by Jamiel Chagra due to target's harsh convictions of Latin American drug kingpins | [57] |
See also[]
- Political murder
- List of assassinated US presidents
- List of assassinated people
- List of United States federal judges killed in office
- List of United States Congress members killed or wounded in office
References[]
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Categories:
- Assassinated American politicians
- Lists of American politicians
- Lists of assassinations
- United States crime-related lists