Sara Jane Moore, a woman who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, has died at the age of 95. Born on February 15, 1930, in Charleston, West Virginia, Moore had struggled with mental health issues and erratic behavior throughout her life.
Moore’s attempt on Ford’s life was part of a chaotic time in American history. In 1975, Charles Manson was on death row, Patty Hearst had just been arrested, and Jerry Brown was the governor of California. On September 22, 1975, Moore tried to shoot Ford at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Her bullet missed President Ford’s head, but injured a taxi driver. Moore was found to have had ties to radical organizations and claimed to be an FBI informant. She later became known for suing the warden of her federal prison to prevent him from taking keys to cells away from inmates.
After her conviction, Moore served 32 years in federal prison before being paroled in 2007 at the age of 77. Her attempts to clarify her motives for attempting the assassination were often met with confusion and skepticism.
Source: https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2025-09-25/sara-jane-moore-dead