Attempted assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Attempted assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt
President-elect Roosevelt with Governor David Sholtz in Jacksonville on the same trip to Florida as his attempted assassination
LocationBayfront Park, Miami, Florida, U.S.
DateFebruary 15, 1933 (1933-02-15)
TargetFranklin D. Roosevelt
Attack type
Attempted assassination by shooting
Weapon.32-caliber Iver Johnson revolver
Deaths1 (Anton Cermak)
Injured5
PerpetratorGiuseppe Zangara
MotiveAnti-capitalism
Mental illness (alleged)
ChargesFirst degree murder
Attempted murder (4 counts)
VerdictPlead guilty
WebsiteNewsreel footage
SentenceDeath

On February 15, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, then president-elect of the United States, survived an assassination attempt while delivering an impromptu speech at night from the back of an open car in Miami, Florida. The would-be assassin, Italian immigrant Giuseppe Zangara, fired five shots with a handgun, injuring four bystanders and mortally wounding Chicago mayor Anton Cermak, who was standing on the running board of the car next to Roosevelt. Zangara's intended target, Roosevelt, was unharmed in the attack.

After the assassination attempt, Zangara pleaded guilty to murder and was executed in Florida on March 20, 1933. Roosevelt went on to be the longest-serving president in American history, serving until his death in 1945.