Sara Jane Moore, a radical leftist and would-be assassin of President Gerald Ford, has died at the age of 95. Born in West Virginia in 1930, Moore attempted to kill Ford outside a San Francisco hotel in 1975 with a .38-caliber revolver. Her attempt was thwarted by a former Marine who deflected the gun just as she fired. Moore pleaded guilty to attempted assassination and spent 32 years in prison before being paroled.
Moore’s life was marked by her involvement in radical leftist movements and her numerous marriages, divorces, and children. She claimed that she had hoped to spark a revolution with her actions, but her attempts were met with resistance from law enforcement and the public.
Despite her radical views, Moore also revealed a more vulnerable side in interviews, including one with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” show in 2009. In it, she spoke about her motivations for attempting to kill Ford and how she felt isolated by her own actions.
Moore’s life has been the subject of much scrutiny and debate, but her death marks the end of a complex and intriguing chapter in American history.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/us/sara-jane-moore-dead.html