Attempted Assassination of Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt was campaigning for the Progressive “Bull Moose” Party after splitting from the Republican Party due to disagreements with his successor, William Howard Taft. The assassination attempt occurred as Roosevelt prepared to travel from his hotel to give a campaign speech at the Milwaukee Auditorium, with thousands of supporters waiting to hear his address.

Schrank, a 36-year-old German immigrant and New York saloonkeeper, had been stalking Roosevelt across multiple campaign stops for weeks, motivated by his belief that no president should serve more than two terms and his conviction that Roosevelt’s third-party candidacy threatened American democracy. Schrank later claimed he had been visited by the ghost of William McKinley, who urged him to kill Roosevelt.

As Roosevelt entered his automobile outside the hotel, Schrank pushed through the crowd and fired a single shot from a .38-caliber Colt revolver at point-blank range. The bullet struck Roosevelt in the chest but was slowed by the thick manuscript of his evening speech, titled “Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual,” along with his metal eyeglass case and the heavy fabric of his overcoat.

Despite being shot, Roosevelt insisted on proceeding to the auditorium to deliver his speech, famously beginning his remarks by saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” He spoke for approximately 90 minutes while blood soaked through his shirt, only seeking medical attention after completing his address.

X-rays revealed the bullet had lodged near Roosevelt’s right lung but had not penetrated vital organs. Doctors determined that attempting to remove the bullet posed greater risk than leaving it in place, and Roosevelt carried the bullet in his chest for the remainder of his life, often joking about his “souvenir” from the campaign trail.

Schrank was immediately arrested and later declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. He spent the rest of his life in mental institutions, dying in 1943, still maintaining that his assassination attempt had been justified to prevent Roosevelt from becoming a dictator. The incident became legendary in American political folklore, cementing Roosevelt’s reputation for physical toughness and determination.