The curse of US presidents: American leaders whose lives and deaths were unspeakably tragic

For centuries, mysterious legends have been told about fateful coincidences in the biographies of American leaders. From Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, whose lives were tragically cut short, to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who survived more than one assassination attempt.

History buffs associate the incidents with mysticism and the famous "Tecumseh legend." Many of them have influenced the presidency of U.S. leaders. In particular, the term of the 39th American president, James Earl Carter, known as Jimmy Carter, was characterized by a series of failures. The politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who passed away on December 29, 2024, lived longer than any head of state in history. At the time of his death, he was 100 years old.

Carter's failures

The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, faced large-scale challenges during his presidency from 1977 to 1981, which biographers often refer to as failures. His administration tried to solve economic problems characterized by high inflation, unemployment, and an energy crisis. The oil crisis of 1979, triggered by the Iranian Revolution, exacerbated economic difficulties and led to fuel shortages, which caused voter resentment.

Carter's foreign policy was also associated with significant failures, especially during the Iran hostage crisis, when 52 American diplomats and US citizens were held captive for 444 days. This incident caused serious damage to the presidential reputation and led to Jimmy Carter's defeat in the 1980 election.

The curse of Tecumseh

Challenges to the fate of American presidents are often associated with the "Tecumseh curse," a well-known belief that White House leaders elected in years divisible by 20 are doomed to face difficulties or even die in office. The roots of the legend stretch back to a Native American prophecy associated with Tecumseh, a Shawnee leader who allegedly cursed those who opposed his people. Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and others are often attributed to the victims of the curse.

It's worth noting that not all presidents elected in the respective years suffered such a fate. For example, Ronald Reagan, who began his term in 1980, survived an assassination attempt. Many historians view the curse as more of a coincidence, but the legend remains an intriguing part of folklore.

Lincoln's assassination

The very first and one of the most famous assassinations of an American president was the tragedy associated with the 16th head of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. On the eve of his death, the politician and his wife agreed to go to the theater, but soon the politician's beloved suggested that the play be postponed. Lincoln objected, which became a fateful decision – on April 14, 1865, he was shot dead by John Wilkes Booth, a Southern sympathizer. The assailant shot the victim while he was sitting in the presidential box. Lincoln was soon taken to a nearby boarding house, where he died the next morning, April 15, 1865.

The scandals and death of James Garfield

The presidency of the 20th head of the White House, James Garfield, who took office in 1881, was tragically cut short by his assassination. On July 2 of the same year, the politician was hit by two bullets while he was at the Baltimore-Potomac train station – one in the arm and the other in the back.

The assassin was Charles Guiteau, a 39-year-old Washington lawyer of French descent who was described as an emotionally unstable person. The likely reason for the assassination is that Garfield refused to appoint a Frenchman to a consular post in Europe. After the tragedy, the president fought for his life for 10 weeks, but doctors were unable to find the metal bullet that damaged his organs.

Garfield's term was characterized by high-profile bribery scandals. As the chairman of the budget committee, the politician was accused of taking a bribe from the Credit Suisse company, which was building a transcontinental railroad. According to the available data, in exchange for the money, the American allegedly presented the company's guarantees for public funds that were supposed to be used for the development of construction.

Another of Garfield's charges concerned illegal lobbying of a contractor seeking to obtain a government contract for road construction in Washington. The politician denied all accusations, although he did once admit that he had received a certain amount of money from the Credit Suisse company.

The high-profile Kennedy assassination

The assassination of the 35th President John F. Kennedy took place on November 22, 1963. The politician was shot dead while driving in a motorcade through Dallas Square with his wife. The fatal shots were fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was hit by two bullets, one of which proved fatal, and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Oswald was arrested shortly after the assassination, but two days later he was killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could stand trial. The assassination shocked the world and gave rise to numerous conspiracy theories that questioned whether Oswald acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy.

Two assassination attempts on Roosevelt

The 32nd American president, Franklin Roosevelt, was not spared the misfortune of two assassination attempts during his tenure. On February 15, 1933, shortly before his inauguration, Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt in Miami: Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant, fired several shots at the politician. Although Roosevelt was not wounded, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who was standing nearby, was fatally wounded. Zangara was quickly arrested, convicted, and executed in March 1933.

In 1934, a plot involving members of a far-right group was uncovered. The conspirators planned to assassinate Roosevelt and replace him with a military dictatorship. Although the plot never materialized, it became a chilling reminder of the threats Roosevelt faced during his presidency, especially from extremist groups.

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