From Abraham Lincoln to Donald Trump; List of Presidents, candidates who were assassinated or targeted

Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally on Saturday after a major security lapse, an attack that will likely reshape this year’s presidential race and fuel long-standing fears that the campaign could descend into political violence. This is not the first time US president or candidates were shot. In the past, there have been multiple instances of political violence targeting US presidents, former presidents and major party presidential candidates.

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Here's a look at some of the assassinations and attempted assassinations:

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president

Abraham Lincoln was the 1st president to be assassinated. On April 14, 1865, he was shot by John Wilkes Booth when he and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, attended a special performance of the comedy “Our American Cousin” at Ford's Theatre in Washington.

After Lincoln was shot in the back of the head, he was taken to a nearby house for medical treatment and passed away the following morning. His advocacy for Black rights was considered a motive for his assassination. After his death, Vice President Andrew Johnson took over as President. On April 26, 1865, Booth was shot and killed after he was found hiding in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.

Ames Garfield, the 20th US president

The 20th US President, Ames Garfield was the second to be assassinated. He was assassinated within six months after taking office. The incident occured on July 2, 1881 when he was walking through a train station in Washington, to catch a train to New England when he was shot by Charles Guiteau.

As per Associated Press report, Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone inventor, had tried unsuccessfully to find the bullet lodged in Garfield's chest using a device he designed specifically for the president.

After being critically injured, the president remained at the White House for several weeks but passed away in September after being transported to the New Jersey shore. Guiteau was found guilty and executed in June 1882.

William McKinley, the 25th president

In September 1, 1901, William McKinley who was the 25th US President, was shot after giving a speech in New York's Buffalo. He was shot by an unemployed 28-year-old doctor, Leon F. Czolgosz.

The incident occured when he was shaking hands with people passing through a receiving line when Czolgosz fired two shots into his chest at point-blank range. Initially, doctors anticipated McKinley's recovery, but complications from gangrene around the bullet wounds changed the outlook. On 14 September, he passed away. In the same year, on 29 October, Czolgosz was found guilty at trial and put to death in the electric chair.

John F Kennedy, the 35th president

In November 1965, John F Kennedy was fatally shot by a hidden assassin armed with a high-powered rifle as he had visited Dallas with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Shots rang out as the president's motorcade rolled through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. Kennedy was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he died soon after.

Shortly after the assassination, police apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, who was found near a sniper's nest in the Texas School Book Depository. Two days later, as Oswald was being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, he was shot and killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

List of Presidents who were survived the attack

Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president

In February 1933, Franklin Roosevelt, the then president-elect, had finished delivering a speech in Miami when gunshots suddenly erupted. Although Roosevelt escaped unharmed, the shooting tragically claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. Zangara was later found guilty of the shooting and received a death sentence.

Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president

In 1950, two gunmen had broke in at Blar House where Harry Truman was staying which was right across the street from the White House. Truman was not injured, however, but a White House policeman and one of the assailants were killed in an exchange of gunfire. Two other White House policemen were wounded.

Gerald Ford, the 38th president

In 1975, President Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts within a matter of weeks. In the first incident, Charles Manson disciple Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme had attempted to kill him and in the Sara Jane Moore. Both were sentenced to prison with Fromme was released in 2009 while Moore in 2007.

Ronald Regan, the 40th president

Reagan was leaving a speech in Washington, D.C., and walking to his motorcade when he was shot by John Hinckley Jr., who was in the crowd.

Reagan recovered from the March 1981 shooting. Three other people were shot, including his press secretary, James Brady, who was partially paralyzed as a result.

Hinckley was arrested and confined to a mental hospital after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity in shooting Reagan. In 2022, Hinckley was freed from court oversight after a judge determined he was “no longer a danger to himself or others.”

George Bush, the 43rd president

Bush was attending a rally in Tbilisi in 2005 with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili when a hand grenade was thrown toward him.

Both men were behind a bulletproof barrier when the grenade, wrapped in cloth, landed about 100 feet away. The grenade did not explode, and no one was hurt.

Vladimir Arutyunian was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Theodore Roosevelt, presidential candidate

The former president was shot in Milwaukee in 1912 while campaigning to return to the White House.

Roosevelt had previously served two terms as president and was running again as a third-party candidate.

Folded papers and a metal glasses case in Roosevelt's pocket apparently blunted the bullet's impact and he was not seriously hurt.

John Schrank was arrested and spent the remainder of his life in mental hospitals.

Robert Kennedy, presidential candidate

Kennedy was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was killed at a Los Angeles hotel — moments after giving his victory speech for winning the 1968 California primary.

Kennedy was a U.S. senator from New York and the brother of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated five years earlier.

Five other people were wounded in the shooting.

Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. That was commuted to life in prison, where Sirhan remains after his latest petition for release was denied last year.

George Wallace, presidential candidate

Wallace was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was shot during a campaign stop in Maryland in 1972, an incident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Wallace, the governor of Alabama, was known for his segregationist views, which he later renounced.

Arthur Bremer was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to prison. He was released in 2007.