EXTREMELY SENSITIVE CONTENT – 18+ ONLY
This article discusses sensitive historical events related to the assassination and execution of individuals, including acts of judicial violence. The content is presented for educational purposes only, to foster understanding of the past and encourage reflection on how societies can prevent similar injustices in the future. It does not endorse or glorify any form of violence or extremism.
In 1901, U.S. President William McKinley was assassinated. The perpetrator, Leon Czolgosz, was arrested by police immediately afterward. For causing the death of President McKinley, Czolgosz was sentenced to death and executed by electric chair. Born in 1843, U.S. President William McKinley was the first president to ride in a car and the first White House occupant to use the telephone for campaigning. The 25th President of the United States was re-elected for a second term in 1900. However, a year later, he became the target of an assassination by Leon Czolgosz. The assassination of the U.S.
President took place on September 6, 1901. At that time, President McKinley was attending an event in the city of Buffalo. More than 100,000 people attended the event where President McKinley was present. Among those present at the event was Leon Czolgosz. He carried a pistol hidden in his pocket. Taking advantage of the opportunity when President McKinley shook hands with each citizen, Czolgosz also lined up. When President McKinley was about to shake hands with Czolgosz, he pulled out the gun and shot the White House leader in the abdomen. Police and security personnel at the event quickly subdued and arrested Czolgosz.
Meanwhile, President McKinley, who was shot, was quickly taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. However, due to the severe wound, President McKinley passed away after a week of being assassinated. He became the third U.S. President to be assassinated while in office (after President Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield). Half a month after carrying out the assassination of the U.S. President that shocked public opinion, Czolgosz was brought to trial in federal court in Buffalo.
After the trial sessions, on September 26, 1901, the federal court sentenced Czolgosz to death for assassinating the U.S. President. This death row inmate was executed by electric chair on October 29, 1901. Readers are invited to watch the video: Commemorating 50 years since President Kennedy was assassinated.
William McKinley served as the 25th President of the United States from 1897 to 1901, overseeing a period of economic prosperity and U.S. expansion, including the Spanish-American War (1898) that led to acquisitions like the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Re-elected in 1900 with Theodore Roosevelt as vice president, McKinley was at the height of popularity when assassinated.
Leon Frank Czolgosz, born in 1873 in Detroit to Polish immigrant parents, was an anarchist influenced by Emma Goldman and the Haymarket Affair. Unemployed and disillusioned, he targeted McKinley as a symbol of oppression. At the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901, Czolgosz concealed a .32-caliber revolver in a bandaged hand. As McKinley greeted the public, Czolgosz shot him twice at close range—one bullet grazed, the other lodged in his abdomen, leading to gangrene.
McKinley died on September 14, 1901, from infection—antibiotics not yet available. Roosevelt became president. Czolgosz was arrested immediately, confessing he acted alone for the working class.
Tried September 23–24, 1901, in Buffalo, Czolgosz refused counsel, pleading guilty (not accepted; entered not guilty). Jury deliberated 34 minutes, convicting him. Sentenced September 26 to death by electric chair at Auburn Prison.
Executed October 29, 1901, at age 28—strapped in, 1,700 volts applied for 60 seconds. Body autopsied, brain examined for defects (none found), then dissolved in acid to prevent martyrdom. Grave unmarked.
This assassination, amid anarchist fears post-Haymarket, led to the 1903 Anarchist Exclusion Act and influenced Roosevelt’s progressive reforms.
Leon Czolgosz’s execution by electric chair for assassinating President McKinley 119 years ago marked a tragic chapter in U.S. history, highlighting anarchist threats and medical limitations of the era. His fate—swift trial and acid dissolution—reflected society’s demand for justice amid fear. By reflecting objectively, we confront how ideology drives violence, reinforcing the value of dialogue over extremism. This story urges preventing radicalization through education, ensuring societies address grievances peacefully.