FDR Assassin Executed: Zangara Dies in Electric Chair

Giuseppe Zangara was executed in Florida's electric chair on March 20, 1933, just thirty-three days after he attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin Roosevelt in Miami and accidentally killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead. The speed of his trial, conviction, and execution remains one of the fastest in modern American legal history. Zangara, an Italian-born bricklayer who had emigrated to the United States in 1923, opened fire on Roosevelt's motorcade at Bayfront Park in Miami on February 15, 1933. Roosevelt had just finished giving a short speech from the back of his open car. Zangara, standing on a wobbly folding chair in the crowd, fired five shots from a .32 caliber pistol. He missed Roosevelt but struck five bystanders, including Cermak, who was standing near the president-elect's car. Cermak, hit in the abdomen, was rushed to the hospital and initially appeared to recover. Roosevelt visited him several times during his recuperation. Cermak reportedly told Roosevelt, "I'm glad it was me instead of you," a quote that became famous though its authenticity is debated. Cermak died on March 6, 1933, from complications of his wound, likely peritonitis caused by a fragment of the bullet lodging near his spine. Zangara was charged with murder immediately after Cermak's death. His trial lasted one day. He offered no defense and expressed no remorse, telling the court he hated all presidents and all officials of government. He had earlier been sentenced to eighty years for the attempted murder of Roosevelt and assault on the other victims. The murder conviction carried a mandatory death sentence. At his execution, Zangara reportedly cursed capitalists and expressed anger that there were no photographers present. His last words, according to witnesses, were: "Viva Italia! Goodbye to all poor peoples everywhere! Push the button! Go ahead, push the button!" The assassination attempt that killed the wrong man came within inches of changing the course of the twentieth century. Had Zangara's aim been slightly better, America would have entered the Depression's darkest year without Roosevelt.