Ford assassination attempt in Sacramento
| Gerald Ford assassination attempt in Sacramento | |
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Ford being rushed by U.S. Secret Service from the site of the 1975 attempt on his life in Sacramento, California
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| Location | Capitol Park, south of 1121 L Street, Sacramento, California |
| Coordinates | 38°34′29″N 121°29′21″W / 38.574743°N 121.489252°WCoordinates: 38°34′29″N 121°29′21″W / 38.574743°N 121.489252°W |
| Date | September 5, 1975 ~10:04 am (PST) |
| Target | Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States |
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Attack type
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Attempted political assassination via shooting |
| Weapons | Colt M1911 .45 cal. semi-automatic pistol |
| Deaths | None |
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Non-fatal injuries
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None |
| Perpetrator | Lynette Fromme |
| Participant | One |
| Defender | Larry Buendorf, Secret Service agent |
| Motive | To set an example to those refusing to halt environmental pollution and its effects on Air, Trees, Water, and Animals (ATWA) |
On September 5, 1975, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a cult member of Charles Manson's Manson Family, attempted to assassinate United States President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. She wanted to make a statement to people who refused to halt environmental pollution and its effects on Air, Trees, Water, and Animals (ATWA). Although Fromme stood a little more than an arm's length from Ford that Friday morning and pointed a M1911 pistol at him in the public grounds of the California State Capitol building, her gun failed to fire and no one was injured. After the assassination attempt, Ford continued to walk to the California state house, where he met with California governor Jerry Brown. For her crime, Fromme spent 34 years in prison and was released on August 14, 2009 – two years and seven months after Ford's death. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, later received the M1911 pistol used in the assassination attempt as a gift, and the gun was put on display.
Lynette Fromme, who was nicknamed "Squeaky" by George Spahn, was a follower of cultist Charles Manson, leader of the group convicted of murdering actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles, California, in 1969. Fromme was one of the earliest followers of Manson, and had a reputation as being one of the most devoted. Through the years, Fromme served as "the cornerstone" in keeping Manson cult members in communication with each other.
In April 1971, Fromme served 90 days in jail for attempting to feed a hamburger laced with the psychedelic drug LSD to Barbara Hoyt, a witness to the Tate murder, to keep Hoyt from testifying in the murder trial. Fromme lived at 1725 P Street in Sacramento (38°34′16″N 121°29′09″W / 38.571142°N 121.485807°W) in an attic apartment with Sandra Good, a close friend who also was a long-time member of the Manson Family. Three years later in 1975, Fromme decided to kill Ford to set an example for those refusing to halt environmental pollution and its effects on ATWA (Air, Trees, Water, Animals).
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