90 Miles From Tyranny : September 22 1975: Radical Leftist Sara Jane Moore Attempts To Assassinate President Gerald Ford

Sara Jane Moore in custody after her attempt to kill President Ford.

Sara Jane Moore, a 45-year-old accountant from West Virginia with radical political views, attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, California. She’d been investigated by the Secret Service earlier that year and was even charged with illegal handgun possession the day before the assassination attempt, but she wasn’t deemed a threat.

After police confiscated her gun on September 21, she purchased a new one the next morning and used it to fire a shot at the president while he was standing in a crowd outside the St. Francis Hotel. After narrowly missing, she was arrested and soon sentenced to life in prison, before being released in 2007.

Sara Jane Moore was an American accountant who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. She was influenced by radical leftist politics and believed her actions would trigger a violent revolution against the U.S. government, which she felt was mishandling issues like the Vietnam War.

Background of Sara Jane Moore

Sara Jane Moore, born Sara Jane Kahn on February 15, 1930, in Charleston, West Virginia, was an American accountant known for her attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. She was a middle-aged woman who had been involved in various radical political movements and served as an FBI informant before her assassination attempt.

Personal Life

Birth: February 15, 1930
Death: September 24, 2025, at age 95
Occupation: Accountant
Marriages: Divorced five times, with four children

Political Beliefs
Moore's political beliefs were heavily influenced by the radical leftist movements of the 1970s. She was particularly affected by:

Opposition to the Vietnam War: Moore believed that the U.S. government was mishandling the war and that drastic action was necessary to provoke change.
Desire for Revolution: She thought that her assassination attempt would spark a violent revolution against the government. Moore stated that she was "blinded by her radical political views" and believed her actions could lead to a significant political upheaval.
Involvement with Leftist Groups: Her political radicalization was further fueled by her connections with leftist organizations and her work with the People in Need program, which was established during the Patricia Hearst kidnapping crisis.
Moore's actions were a culmination of her belief that extreme measures were necessary to address the political climate of her time. She later expressed regret for her attempt, acknowledging that she had been caught up in the fervor of revolutionary politics.

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