May 15, 1972, Laurel, Maryland. Alabama Governor George Wallace was shot four times by failed assassin Arthur Bremer. Gov. Wallace survived, but was left paralyzed from the waist down. It is unknown as to what would have been the results of the campaign if Wallace had not been forced out of the race by his injuries. While his campaign was cut short, he still managed to come in third place in the Democratic primaries against Sen. George McGovern and former VP Hubert Humphrey.
Cover Photo from Life magazine – Wallace’s wife shields her husband’s body after the shooting.
Gov. Wallace would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair until his death in 1998.
Gov. Wallace would run again in 1976, unsuccessfully. He would serve four terms as Alabama governor.
1n 1974, Pres. Nixon requested support from Wallace as leader of the “Southern Dixiecrats” during Watergate. Wallace turned him down. When Arizona Gov. Barry Goldwater also refused to help Nixon, the former President decided to resign.
Cover to “An Assassin’s Diary” (out-of-print)
Arthur Bremer’s diary detailed plans to kill either then current Pres. Richard Nixon or leading Democratic candidate George Wallace. Bremer gave up on the idea of killing Nixon when he saw that his Secret Service protection was extensive. This assassination plot was partially used in the 1976 film “Taxi Driver”.
“Taxi Driver” (1976) partially based on the Bremer diary would inspire John Hinckley, Jr. to shoot Pres. Reagan in 1981.
Bremer served thirty-five years in prison was released in 2007.
Arthur Bremer upon release
Text © 2025 – EricReports