On September 22, 1975, President Gerald Ford faced a second assassination attempt within 17 days, this time in San Francisco. After delivering an address to the World Affairs Council, Ford was leaving the St. Francis Hotel when Sara Jane Moore, positioned in the crowd, fired a shot with a .38 Special revolver. The incident unfolded rapidly, highlighting the ever-present dangers faced by public figures and the critical role of quick-thinking bystanders
and security personnel in averting tragedy. This event led to increased security measures for the President, including the adoption of a bulletproof trench coat for public appearances.
The Incident Unfolds on Post Street
The afternoon of September 22, 1975, at approximately 3:30 p.m. PDT, saw President Ford emerging from the Post Street entrance of the St. Francis Hotel in Union Square. He was making his way towards his limousine, pausing to wave to the assembled crowd across the street. It was at this moment that Sara Jane Moore, standing about forty feet away, took aim and fired her .38 Special revolver. The shot narrowly missed the President's head by five inches, instead passing through the wall above the doorway he had just exited. This near-miss underscored the precariousness of the situation and the potential for a far more tragic outcome.
Moore's choice of weapon, a .38 Special revolver, had been purchased in haste that very morning. Its inaccurate sights were later cited as a reason for her narrowly missing the President. This detail suggests a degree of impulsiveness or lack of thorough planning in her attempt, despite her stated motive to spark a violent revolution. The immediate aftermath of the shot was chaotic, with the sound drawing the attention of those nearby and initiating a rapid response from both civilians and law enforcement.
Heroic Intervention and Immediate Aftermath
The sound of the gunshot prompted a bystander named Oliver Sipple to react instinctively. Sipple, a former U.S. Marine, dove at Moore, grabbing her shooting arm and preventing her from firing a second shot. This swift action was crucial in neutralizing the immediate threat. Although a bullet fragment from the initial shot superficially wounded John Ludwig, a 42-year-old taxi driver who was inside the hotel, Sipple's intervention prevented further harm. San Francisco Police Captain Timothy Hettrich quickly joined in, wrestling the gun from Moore's hand and subduing her.
Simultaneously, President Ford's Secret Service team acted decisively. They pushed Ford into his waiting limousine, with Secret Service agents and Donald Rumsfeld lying on top of him to provide protection. The limousine then sped to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), where Ford boarded Air Force One. He was later joined by the First Lady, and they flew back to Washington, D.C. The rapid extraction and secure transport of the President demonstrated the well-rehearsed protocols of the Secret Service in response to such a critical event.
Background and Legal Consequences
Sara Jane Moore had been on the Secret Service's radar earlier in 1975, but agents had concluded that she posed no danger to the president. This assessment proved to be tragically incorrect. The day before the assassination attempt, Moore, then 45 years old, had been detained by police on an illegal handgun charge. However, she was subsequently released, and authorities confiscated her .44-caliber Charter Arms Bulldog revolver along with 113 rounds of ammunition. Despite this prior encounter with law enforcement regarding firearms, she was able to acquire another weapon shortly before the attempt.
Moore's stated motive, as explained in a 2009 interview, was to ignite a violent revolution aimed at bringing about change in America. For her actions, Moore was sentenced to life in prison on January 15, 1976. She remained incarcerated for over three decades, eventually being released on parole on December 31, 2007. The incident remains a significant event in U.S. presidential history, underscoring the constant vigilance required to protect the nation's leaders.
