How Many U.S. Presidents Have Been Assassinated? A Historical Breakdown
8 U.S. Presidents have been assassinated (killed while in office or as a direct result of their presidency). Here they are with their parties:
Assassinated U.S. Presidents:
| # | President | Party | Year | Location | Assassin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican | 1865 | Washington, D.C. | John Wilkes Booth |
| 2 | James A. Garfield | Republican | 1881 | Washington, D.C. | Charles Guiteau |
| 3 | William McKinley | Republican | 1901 | Buffalo, NY | Leon Czolgosz |
| 4 | John F. Kennedy | Democratic | 1963 | Dallas, TX | Lee Harvey Oswald |
Presidents Who Died in Office (Non-Assassination):
| # | President | Party | Year | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | William Henry Harrison | Whig | 1841 | Pneumonia (died 32 days after inauguration) |
| 6 | Zachary Taylor | Whig | 1850 | Stomach illness/food poisoning |
| 7 | Warren G. Harding | Republican | 1923 | Heart attack |
| 8 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Democratic | 1945 | Cerebral hemorrhage |
Party Breakdown:
- Republican: 4 assassinated (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding*)
- Democratic: 1 assassinated (Kennedy), 1 died naturally (FDR)
- Whig: 2 died naturally (Harrison, Taylor)
*Harding died of a heart attack, not assassination.
Key Facts:
- 4 were assassinated while in office (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy)
- 4 died naturally while in office
- Republican Party had the most assassinations (3)
- 1881-1901: Three presidents assassinated in 20 years
- 1963: Last presidential assassination (JFK)
Eight U.S. presidents have died while in office, four from assassination and four from natural causes, marking some of the darkest moments in American political history.
Abraham Lincoln became the first president assassinated when John Wilkes Booth shot him at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. Lincoln, a Republican, died the following morning just days after the Civil War effectively ended. His assassination sent shockwaves through a nation already torn by conflict.
James A. Garfield, also a Republican, was shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington, D.C. railroad station on July 2, 1881. Garfield suffered for 80 days before dying on September 19, 1881. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker, believed he deserved a diplomatic position. The assassination highlighted the need for civil service reform.
William McKinley became the third Republican president assassinated when Leon Czolgosz shot him at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. McKinley died eight days later on September 14. Czolgosz, an anarchist, was executed by electric chair less than two months after the shooting.
John F. Kennedy remains the most recent president assassinated, killed in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. The Democratic president was shot while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested but killed by Jack Ruby before standing trial. Kennedy's death remains one of the most studied events in American history.
Four other presidents died in office from natural causes. William Henry Harrison, a Whig, died of pneumonia on April 4, 1841, just 32 days after his inauguration. His death came after delivering the longest inaugural address in history during cold, wet weather without a coat or hat.
Zachary Taylor, also a Whig, died on July 9, 1850, from a stomach illness historians believe was cholera or food poisoning. Taylor had consumed large quantities of cherries and iced milk at a Fourth of July celebration days earlier.
Warren G. Harding suffered a fatal heart attack on August 2, 1923, while on a speaking tour in San Francisco. The Republican president was 57 years old. His death came amid growing scandals in his administration that would fully emerge after his death.
Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945, at his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia. The Democratic president was 63 and had led the nation through the Great Depression and most of World War II. His death came just months before the war's end.
The Republican Party experienced the most presidential deaths in office with four: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Harding. The Whig Party lost two presidents: Harrison and Taylor. The Democratic Party lost one to assassination with Kennedy and one to natural causes with Roosevelt.
The period between 1881 and 1901 saw three presidents assassinated within 20 years, prompting increased security measures for the office. The Secret Service, originally created to combat counterfeiting, began providing full-time presidential protection after McKinley's death.
No president has been assassinated since Kennedy in 1963, though several have survived assassination attempts including Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, and Franklin Roosevelt before his death in office.
The deaths of these eight presidents fundamentally altered the course of American history, thrusting vice presidents into leadership during critical moments and shaping succession policies that continue to govern presidential transitions today.
Note: Some presidents faced assassination attempts but survived (Reagan, Ford, Truman, Roosevelt, Kennedy before 1963, and Trump).
