First Assassination Attempt on a US President

Date: January 30, 1835 • Location: Shaw, United States

Richard Lawrence became the first person to attempt to assassinate a sitting US president when he failed to kill Andrew Jackson at the US Capitol (assassination attempt pictured) and was subdued by the crowd.

Richard Lawrence was a British-born American unemployed house painter who was the first known person to attempt the assassination of a sitting president of the United States. Lawrence attempted to shoot President Andrew Jackson outside the United States Capitol on January 30, 1835, however both of his pistols misfired and he was taken into custody. At trial, Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the remainder of his life in insane asylums.