Which President Survived Two Assassination Attempts?
Every president of the United States holds power and prestige, and faces danger because of it. Fortunately, only four of them have been threatened with two assassination attempts. It’s an impressive record that every American should be aware of. Here is a look into the presidents who overcame two assassination attempts.
Abraham Lincoln
The first president to be threatened by two assassination attempts was Abraham Lincoln. The first attempt occurred in August of 1864 and involved George Atzerodt, who was a conspirator of the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Atzerrodt had been assigned by Booth to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson. Lincoln’s assassination was meant to be part of a larger plan that would kill both the president and the vice president simultaneously. Fortunately, Atzerrodt had second thoughts and didn’t carry out his plan. The second attempt took place in April of 1865 and was the infamous booth plan. Booth was successful in killing Lincoln, but his team was quickly apprehended by the government.
James Garfield
In July of 1881, President James Garfield was the next target of a double assassination. While waiting for a train at a Washington D.C. station, Charley Guiteau shot Garfield at close range in the back. As a result of the shooting, Garfield was incapacitated until his death three months later. The second attempt occurred in October of 1881, only a few weeks before Garfield’s death. This time, the assailant was David Herold, who attempted to assassinate Garfield in the hopes of distracting from Guiteau’s involvement in the first assassination. Fortunately, Herold was unsuccessful, and Garfield’s assailant was apprehended.
Theodore Roosevelt
In October of 1912, a man named John Flammang Schrank attempted to assassinate former President Theodore Roosevelt. Schrank had been stalking Roosevelt for months leading up to the assassination attempt and was overcome with anger when Roosevelt wouldn’t heed his warnings. On the day of the attempt, Roosevelt was giving a speech when Schrank emerged from the crowd and fired his weapon at the president. Fortunately, Roosevelt was saved by his speech manuscript, which was in his breast pocket. The bullet was able to penetrate the paper, but was not able to reach his body.
Incredibly, Roosevelt would experience a second assassination attempt just fifteen days later. During a campaign stop in Milwaukee, Roosevelt was shot at by a saloon-keeper named John Schrank. This time, Roosevelt was able to avoid the bullet by ducking and charging the assailant. Both assassination attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The fourth and final president to have survived two assassination attempts was Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first attempt occurred in 1933, soon after his election. In this case, the assailant was Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant who had traveled to the United States with a sense of revenge. On the day of the assassination, Zangara shot five shots at Roosevelt, but only one of them struck him in the side. Fortunately, the bullet missed any major organs and Roosevelt was able to heal quickly and continue his first term as president.
The second assassination attempt occurred in 1944 and involved a man named Oscar Collazo. On November 1st, Collazo and his partner attempted to break into the White House with firearms. Fortunately, the two were quickly apprehended by the Secret Service and Roosevelt was able to continue his service to the American people.
Throughout the history of the United States, four presidents have been threatened with assassination attempts twice. All of them survived to continue their legacy – Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Each of these men endured incredible danger and showed immense courage in defending their office and the country as a whole. They are a testament to the resilience of the American people and will forever remain a part of this country’s proud history.
