Leon Czolgosz

Leon Czolgosz (May 5, 1873 – October 29, 1901) was an American laborer and anarchist who assassinated United States President William McKinley. 

 Life 
Czolgosz was born in either Detroit or Alpena, Michigan, to Prussian immigrant parents. 

He became involved in the anarchist movement and was influenced by Emma Goldman. He was an outsider within the anarchist movement. At one point, other anarchists accused him of being a spy.

 McKinley assassination 
On September 6, 1901 the Pan-American Exposition was in Buffalo, New York. McKinley appeared at its Temple of Music to meet with members of the public. Czolgosz waited in line to see McKinley, then shot him twice. The president died eight days later.

 Arrest & trial 
Czolgosz was arrested immediately, and an attempt was made to lynch him. He quickly confessed to killing McKinley, saying:I made my plans 3 or 4 days ago to shoot the President.  When I shot him I intended to kill him and the reason for my intention in killing was because I did not believe in presidents over us.  I was willing to sacrifice myself & the president for the benefit of the Country.His trial began on September 23, 1901 and lasted just eight hours. Czolgosz refused to help his defense attorneys, and they called no witnesses. The jury took about 30 minutes to convict him and sentence him to death.

 Execution 
On October 29, 1901, Czolgosz was executed in the electric chair at Auburn State Prison in west-central New York.

 Motives 
Czolgosz's last words were: "I killed the president because he was the enemy of the good people — the working people."

According to A. Wesley Johns:He apparently got the idea of shooting McKinley after reading [about] an anarchist's assassination of King [Umberto] I of Italy in 1900, although he later claimed a speech by noted anarchist Emma Goldman delivered at Cleveland's FRANKLIN CLUB in May 1901 incited him. 

 References 

Category:1873 births
Category:1901 deaths
Category:American anarchists
Category:American people executed for murder
Category:Anarchists
Category:Assassins
Category:Criminals from Michigan
Category:People executed by electric chair
Category:William McKinley