Today, Sara Jane Moore has the appearance of everyone's kindly, gentle grandmother, but in 1975, she attempted to murder then-President Gerald Ford.
The place was San Francisco; her opportunity to shoot the president came as he exited the St. Francis Hotel. Ford was saved by ex-Marine Oliver Sipple, who grasped Moore's arm as she was about to fire her handgun at Ford. The one shot she got off missed the president but after ricocheting, struck and injured a cabbie.
Moore was immediately collared by Secret Service guards, was found guilty of attempted assassination, and was sentenced to life in prison.
Moore's personal life had been an unhappy one, complete with five divorces. She had become more than disenchanted with government policies and had decided to take a militant stand, hoping that her act would help bring about an American revolution that would change the prevailing power structure.
In 1979, she escaped from a West Virginia prison but was quickly located and returned to confinement.
Moore was paroled in 2007 at age 77 and apparently has lived quietly since then.
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