NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sara Jane Moore, who was imprisoned for more than 30 years after she made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, has died. She was 95.
Moore died Wednesday at a nursing home in Franklin, Tennessee, according to Demetria Kalodimos, a longtime acquaintance who said she was informed by the executor of Moore’s estate. Kalodimos is an executive producer at the Nashville Banner newspaper, which was first to report the death.
Moore seemed an unlikely candidate to gain national notoriety as a violent political radical who nearly killed a president. When she shot at Ford in San Francisco, she was a middle-aged woman who had begun dabbling in leftist groups and sometimes served as an FBI informant.
Sentenced to life, Moore was serving her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, when she was unexpectedly paroled on December 31, 2007. Federal officials gave no details on why she was set free.
She lived largely anonymously in an undisclosed location after that, but in broadcast interviews she expressed regret for what she had done. She claimed she had been caught up in the radical political movements that were common in California in the mid-1970s. “I had put blinders on... I was listening to only what I thought I believed,” she confided in an interview in 2009.
Moore was often confused with Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of cult murderer Charles Manson. Fromme aimed a semi-automatic pistol at Ford earlier in September 1975, but was stopped before firing. Just 17 days later, on September 22, Moore shot at Ford as he waved to a crowd. Thankfully, a former Marine knocked the gun out of her hand, and the bullet missed.
In later interviews, she expressed remorse, emphasizing her radical motivations and the belief that the government had declared war on the left. In a reflective moment, she stated, “I’m very happy that I did not succeed.” Ford passed away in 2006.
Moore’s complex background included multiple failed marriages and a confusing array of identities. She was born Sara Jane Kahn in West Virginia and later became embroiled with leftist political groups while serving as an informant for the FBI. This tangled history left the public and even her legal team perplexed throughout her trial.
Despite her notorious actions, Ford advocated for communication and connection with citizens, insisting attempts on his life shouldn’t sever public discourse. Moore's life highlights the turbulent politics of the 1970s and raises questions about radicalism and its consequences.
Moore died Wednesday at a nursing home in Franklin, Tennessee, according to Demetria Kalodimos, a longtime acquaintance who said she was informed by the executor of Moore’s estate. Kalodimos is an executive producer at the Nashville Banner newspaper, which was first to report the death.
Moore seemed an unlikely candidate to gain national notoriety as a violent political radical who nearly killed a president. When she shot at Ford in San Francisco, she was a middle-aged woman who had begun dabbling in leftist groups and sometimes served as an FBI informant.
Sentenced to life, Moore was serving her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, when she was unexpectedly paroled on December 31, 2007. Federal officials gave no details on why she was set free.
She lived largely anonymously in an undisclosed location after that, but in broadcast interviews she expressed regret for what she had done. She claimed she had been caught up in the radical political movements that were common in California in the mid-1970s. “I had put blinders on... I was listening to only what I thought I believed,” she confided in an interview in 2009.
Moore was often confused with Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of cult murderer Charles Manson. Fromme aimed a semi-automatic pistol at Ford earlier in September 1975, but was stopped before firing. Just 17 days later, on September 22, Moore shot at Ford as he waved to a crowd. Thankfully, a former Marine knocked the gun out of her hand, and the bullet missed.
In later interviews, she expressed remorse, emphasizing her radical motivations and the belief that the government had declared war on the left. In a reflective moment, she stated, “I’m very happy that I did not succeed.” Ford passed away in 2006.
Moore’s complex background included multiple failed marriages and a confusing array of identities. She was born Sara Jane Kahn in West Virginia and later became embroiled with leftist political groups while serving as an informant for the FBI. This tangled history left the public and even her legal team perplexed throughout her trial.
Despite her notorious actions, Ford advocated for communication and connection with citizens, insisting attempts on his life shouldn’t sever public discourse. Moore's life highlights the turbulent politics of the 1970s and raises questions about radicalism and its consequences.
