Leon Czolgosz (1873-1901)
[pronounced Sole-gosh]As a young man, Leon Czolgosz (1873-1901) worked in a wire mill in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a good employee, retaining his job even through an economic depression. In 1898 he suffered a breakdown, and returned to the family farm. He made trips to hear the anarchist leader Emma Goldman speak, and attempted to join with several anarchist groups, who rebuffed him. In 1901, after a brief interlude with Ms Goldman, Czolgosz moved to Buffalo, New York, site of the Pan American Exposition. There, in a receiving line on September 6, he shot President McKinley two times. Czolgosz--who gave his name to police as Fred Nieman, or Fred Nobody--later stated in reference to his decision to assassinate McKinley, "I didn't believe one man should have so much service, and another man have none." After a brief trial, Czolgosz was convicted. He was electrocuted on October 29, 1901; his last words were, "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people-the good working people. I done my duty."
Read an account of Czolgosz's trial and execution.
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