From George Washington to Donald Trump 45 persons have adorned the Presidential Office in the United States for close to 200 odd years. Almost 20% that is nearly 8 of them could not finish their term and died because of various reasons while still occupying the Presidential office.
Almost half – four out of the eight such presidents who died with their boots on– Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy were assassinated. The remaining four William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt — died due to what today, may seem to be curable diseases.
William Henry Harrison the 9th President of U.S.A was the first president to die in office. He was also the shortest-serving U.S. president in history. Just one month after being sworn in as the President of the United States (POTUS) he caught a cold that developed into pneumonia and as a result died on April 4, 1841.
Major General Zachary Taylor the 12th president of the United States died after serving for 16 months in office. He is described as the least politically inclined person in American history to occupy the White House.
Abraham Lincoln the 16th and one of the greatest presidents in American history was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth a well-known actor who entered Lincoln’s theatre box and fired at the back of his head. Lincoln died on April 15 1865 (aged 56) after remaining in a coma for eight hours.
James Abram Garfield the 20th president of the United States served for six and a half months till he was assassinated on March 4, 1881. Though shot twice at close quarters Garfield might have survived had the doctors attending to him had today’s medical research and equipment at their disposal. A lot of time was wasted trying to locate the path of the bullet. The Doctors who attended to him used unsterilized fingers to find the bullet – a common practice in those days. The medical knowledge was so restricted that it took another fourteen years for the X-ray to be invented. Even Alexander Graham Bell tried to locate the path of the bullet using a primitive metal detector but failed.
William McKinley the 25th president of the United States remained in office for close to four years and was assassinated in 1901. He was shaking hands with the public when 28-year-old Leon Czolgosz shot him twice in the abdomen at the Temple of Music in buffalo, New York.
Warren Gamaliel Harding the 29th U.S. president died of a heart attack in San Francisco while on a tour and was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge. He died at the age of 57.
Franklin D. Roosevelt a member of the Democratic Party served as the 32nd president of the United States until his death in 1945. He won a record four presidential elections and remained a prominent figure in world affairs during the early 20th century. Rated to be among the greatest US presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, his third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office.
John F. Kennedy often referred to as JFK served as the 35th president of the United States for close to two years till his assassination in November 1963. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald a former U.S. Marine on November 22, 1963 in Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was pronounced dead within about 30 minutes after the shooting. His death certificate listed “gunshot wound, skull” as the cause of death. Kennedy’s body was flown back to Washington, D.C., where it was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Leaders from over 90 countries attended the state funeral.
