Chattanooga’s Unexpected Connection to the Attempted Assassination of President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933
The Fateful Night of Feb 15, 1933
The unassuming city of Chattanooga has a surprising historical tie to a significant national event – the attempted assassination of then President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt in February 1933. On the ominous evening of Feb. 15, 1933, as reported by the Chattanooga Daily Times, Franklin Moore, the manager of the Read House, was engaged in a conversation with Chief Clerk Frank H. “Pete” Woods. They were discussing the shocking news of that day – a gunman had tried to assassinate Roosevelt while he was delivering a speech in Miami.
The Unexpected Revelation
The conversation took an unexpected turn when they mentioned that the Mayor of Chicago, Anton J. Cermak, had also been shot by the same gunman. Little did they know that they had an immediate connection to the shooting in their midst, for a woman standing at the front desk responded in understandable shock and horror. “My God. That’s my father”, she said. This woman wasn’t a random stranger but Helena Cermak Kenlay, the youngest daughter of Mayor Anton J. Cermak who was visiting Chattanooga with her group on their way to Miami, where her father had a winter home.
The Aftermath of the Shooting
On hearing the news, Kenlay, who was coincidentally writing a telegram to her father at that very moment, was immediately escorted to Moore’s office by the Read House manager. There she made some urgent phone calls then left Chattanooga via an urgent train journey, aiming to reach Miami as soon as possible. Her travel companions, consisting of two friends, her young daughter, and a maid, departed the next day in a car.
The Culprit and the Tragic Result
The man responsible for this heinous act was Giuseppe Zangara. His bullets aimed for Roosevelt missed their intended target but managed to hit five other people in the crowd, including Mayor Cermak. Tragically, the gunshot wound he sustained in a lung proved fatal, and he passed away on March 6.
Justice Served
The wheels of justice moved swiftly in this case. Zangara was quickly convicted for the murder of Mayor Cermak and executed on March 20, 1933, barely a month after the attempted assassination of President-elect Roosevelt.
Chattanooga’s Place in History
Thus, Chattanooga’s place in this pivotal historical event is marked not by grand gestures or actions, but rather by a chance conversation in a hotel lobby between two Tennessee locals and the shocked daughter of a major city mayor who had unwittingly become part of a National crisis. This somewhat obscure link to one of the most significant attempted assassinations in U.S. history underscores the interconnectedness of our shared histories and the reverberating impacts of such monumental events.
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