How many US presidents have been assassinated?
Following McKinley’s death in 1901, Congress assigned the Secret Service permanent responsibility for protecting the president
Four US presidents have been killed while in office since the founding of the republic, all in separate incidents spanning nearly a century.
Four US presidents have been killed in office, says ThoughtCo.
Abraham Lincoln (1865)
Lincoln was shot on 14 April 1865 at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathiser. He died the following morning. The killing came days after the end of the Civil War.
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James Garfield (1881)
Garfield was shot on 2 July 1881 at a Washington train station by Charles Guiteau, who was seeking a government appointment. He survived for more than two months but died on 19 September, largely due to infection from his wounds.
William McKinley (1901)
McKinley was shot on 6 September 1901 while greeting visitors at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He died eight days later from complications linked to the wounds.
John F. Kennedy (1963)
Kennedy was shot on 22 November 1963 while riding in a motorcade in Dallas. He died shortly afterwards. The assassination was widely broadcast and marked a major moment in modern media coverage of national events.
Attempts that did not result in death
Other presidents have survived assassination attempts. Andrew Jackson survived an attempt in 1835 when both of the attacker's pistols misfired. Theodore Roosevelt was shot during a 1912 campaign appearance but continued speaking after the bullet was slowed by objects in his coat pocket.
Franklin D. Roosevelt survived an attempt in 1933 in which he was not hit, though a bystander was killed. Harry Truman faced an armed attack at his temporary residence in 1950, but was unharmed.
In 1975, Gerald Ford survived two separate attempts within weeks of each other, both unsuccessful. Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 and recovered after surgery.
Presidential security
Following McKinley's death in 1901, Congress assigned the Secret Service permanent responsibility for protecting the president. The role has expanded over time to cover modern security threats, with presidents continuing to receive protection during public and private travel.
