This article recounts the story of Leon Czolgosz – the anarchist who assassinated President William McKinley on September 6, 1901 – and his subsequent execution in the electric chair at Auburn Prison in New York on October 29, 1901. The content is for educational and historical documentation only, based on court records, contemporary newspapers, and historical sources. It does not aim to glorify violence or advocate for any political ideology.
The Assassin of President William McKinley: The Execution of Leon Czolgosz
Leon Frank Czolgosz was born in Alpena, Michigan, on May 5, 1873. He was the son of Polish immigrants – his father, Paul Czolgosz, had come to America seeking a better life. The family moved frequently, eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio, where young Leon worked in a wire mill as a teenager. He was described by those who knew him as quiet, withdrawn, and deeply unhappy.
By his late twenties, Czolgosz had become radicalized. He fell under the influence of anarchist thinkers – men like Emma Goldman and Johann Most – who preached that governments were instruments of oppression and that violence against leaders was justified. Czolgosz attended anarchist rallies and lectures, absorbing ideas that would eventually lead him to commit one of the most infamous acts in American history.
On September 6, 1901, Czolgosz walked into the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He concealed a .32 caliber revolver wrapped in a handkerchief. When President William McKinley reached out to shake his hand, Czolgosz fired two shots into the president’s abdomen.
McKinley fell. His bodyguards and members of the crowd tackled Czolgosz immediately. The president was rushed to a hospital, where doctors initially believed he would recover. But infection set in, and on September 14, 1901 – eight days after the shooting – William McKinley died.
“Don’t let them hurt him,” McKinley reportedly said as his aides subdued the assassin. The president’s final act, in the face of his own murder, was one of mercy. But the nation would not be so forgiving.
1. The Arrest and Trial
Leon Czolgosz was arrested at the scene. He made no attempt to escape. When questioned, he reportedly said: “I done my duty. I didn’t believe one man should have so much service.”
His trial began on September 23, 1901 – just nine days after McKinley’s death. It was one of the fastest trials of a presidential assassin in American history. The courtroom was packed with spectators, journalists, and officials. The public mood was ugly; many in the crowd wanted immediate vengeance.
Czolgosz was defended by a court-appointed attorney, Loran L. Lewis. The defense attempted to argue that Czolgosz was insane – that his radical beliefs were a symptom of mental illness rather than a conscious choice. But the prosecution presented evidence that Czolgosz had planned the assassination carefully, had researched the president’s movements, and had acted with full awareness of what he was doing.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour. Their verdict: guilty of first-degree murder.
The sentence was death by electrocution.
2. The Execution: October 29, 1901
Leon Czolgosz was executed at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, on the morning of October 29, 1901 – just 53 days after the assassination. It was one of the fastest executions of a condemned prisoner in the state’s history.
The electric chair had first been used in New York a decade earlier, in 1890. It was intended to be a more “humane” alternative to hanging. But the reality of electrocution was brutal.
On the morning of his execution, Czolgosz was calm. He declined to make a final statement. According to witnesses, he walked steadily to the execution chamber. He was strapped into the oak chair. Electrodes were attached to his head and leg.
At 7:12 a.m., the first jolt of electricity passed through his body. His fists clenched. His body stiffened. The current was applied again. A third jolt followed. When doctors examined him, they pronounced him dead.
The entire process took less than two minutes. Czolgosz was 28 years old.
3. The Aftermath: Erasing the Assassin’s Memory
The state of New York was determined that Leon Czolgosz would not become a martyr for the anarchist cause. Prison officials took extraordinary measures to ensure that his death would be the end of his story – not the beginning of a legend.
Immediately after the execution, Czolgosz’s body was doused with sulfuric acid. The acid was intended to dissolve the flesh and prevent would-be admirers from claiming his remains as relics. It was a crude form of chemical cremation, performed hastily and without ceremony.
After the acid had done its work, the remaining bones and ash were buried in an unmarked grave on the prison grounds. No headstone was placed. No marker identified the spot. The location of his grave was deliberately kept secret.
For decades, the exact whereabouts of Czolgosz’s remains were unknown. Some prison officials took the secret to their graves. It was not until later research that historians pieced together the location – but even now, no monument marks the place where the president’s assassin was laid to rest.
4. The Acid Controversy: Was This Legal?
The decision to dissolve Czolgosz’s body in acid was highly unusual. New York state law did not explicitly authorize such a procedure. Prison officials appear to have acted on their own authority, motivated by a desire to prevent the assassin’s grave from becoming a pilgrimage site for anarchists and other radicals.
The state never formally acknowledged what had been done. For years, official records stated only that Czolgosz had been “buried on prison grounds.” The use of acid was not publicly revealed until decades later.
Legal scholars have debated whether the procedure was constitutional. The Eighth Amendment prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.” Czolgosz was already dead when the acid was applied – so the punishment could not have been cruel to him. But some have argued that the destruction of his body violated norms of decency and respect for the dead, even if it did not violate the letter of the law.
5. Comparisons: Other Presidential Assassins
Czolgosz was the second of four men to assassinate a sitting American president. The others were:
John Wilkes Booth (assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865) – was shot and killed by Union soldiers during his capture.
Lee Harvey Oswald (assassinated John F. Kennedy in 1963) – was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could stand trial.
John Hinckley Jr. (attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981) – was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital.
Of all the men who have killed or attempted to kill an American president, Czolgosz was the only one to be executed by the state. Booth was killed by soldiers. Oswald was killed by a civilian. Hinckley was never convicted. Czolgosz alone faced the full weight of the criminal justice system – and paid with his life.
6. The Legacy of Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz is remembered today as a footnote in American history – the man who killed William McKinley and brought Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency. But his motives and his fate raise uncomfortable questions.
Was Czolgosz a true believer in anarchism? Or was he mentally ill, as his defense attorneys argued? The historical record is ambiguous. Czolgosz certainly attended anarchist meetings and was influenced by radical literature. But he also showed signs of paranoia, social isolation, and emotional instability – symptoms that might today be recognized as mental illness.
The decision to dissolve his body in acid reflects the depth of public anger after McKinley’s death. The nation was still healing from the assassination of Lincoln, less than 40 years earlier. The idea that another president could be gunned down was almost too much to bear. The state’s extreme measures were a product of that rage.
7. The Unmarked Grave
Today, the exact location of Leon Czolgosz’s remains is known only to prison historians and a handful of researchers. No marker identifies the spot. Visitors to Auburn Prison cannot see where he was buried.
In some ways, the state succeeded in its goal. Czolgosz did not become a martyr. His name is not revered by anarchists. He is remembered not as a hero of a cause, but as a confused and isolated young man who committed a terrible act.
But the erasure of his memory is not complete. Historians still study his case. True crime enthusiasts still debate his motives. And the story of the man who killed William McKinley – and was dissolved in acid for his crime – continues to fascinate more than a century later.
Conclusion: A Life Cut Short
Leon Czolgosz was 28 years old when he died. He spent 53 days between his arrest and his execution – a span of time that seems shockingly brief by modern standards. Today, the legal process for a presidential assassin would take years, not weeks.
He died in the electric chair, strapped to the same oak seat that had taken dozens of lives before him. His body was dissolved in acid. His grave was left unmarked.
William McKinley’s last words, reportedly, were a plea for mercy on behalf of his killer. “Don’t let them hurt him,” the dying president said. But the nation did not heed his plea. Leon Czolgosz was executed, his body destroyed, his memory erased.
And yet, we still speak his name. We still tell his story. We still ask the question: What drives a man to kill a president?
The answer, like the location of his grave, remains hidden.
Primary Sources:
Auburn Prison execution records – Leon Czolgosz (October 29, 1901)
Contemporary newspaper reports – The New York Times, Buffalo Courier, Cleveland Plain Dealer (1901)
Court records – People v. Leon Czolgosz (1901)
New York State Archives – Prison records and execution logs
Historical studies of anarchism in late 19th-century America
Death Penalty Information Center – Early electrocution records