Assassination of Anton Cermak

Assassination of Anton Cermak

Secondary Resource

Chicago Portraits by June Skinner Sawyers

The Importance

The assasination of Anton J Cermack was so important because he was rebuilding the city of Chicago. Re-establishing its credit, restoring its reputation, and paying its debts. He was killed while speaking with Franklin D Roosevelt who ended up leading America through the Great Depression and World War II.

Cermak started his political career as a precinct captain. In 1922 he was elected president of the Cook County Board. On Feb 15, 1933 he was accidentally shot, the bullet was intended for Roosevelt, he is quoted as saying (it's on his tombstone) "glad it was me instead of you" to Roosevelt when they arrived at the hospital.

by: Megan Henry Machi

Who killed Cermak?

In 1933, a bullet meant for FDR hit Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead. Eighty years ago this week in Miami, a "maniac" tried to kill President-elect Franklin Roosevelt. The assassin's bullets missed their intended target but hit Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak and four other bystanders.

While shaking hands with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida, on February 15, 1933, Cermak was shot in the lung and mortally wounded when Giuseppe Zangara, who at the time was believed to have been engaged in an attempt to assassinate Roosevelt, hit Cermak instead. At the critical moment, Lilian Cross, a woman standing near Zangara, hit Zangara's arm with her purse and spoiled his aim. In addition to Cermak, Zangara hit four other people, one of whom, Mabel Gill, also died of her injuries. Zangara told the police that he hated rich and powerful people, but not Roosevelt personally. Cermak died at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on March 6, partly because of his wounds. On March 30, however, his personal physician, Dr. Karl A. Meyer, said that the primary cause of Cermak's death was ulcerative colitis, commenting, "The mayor would have recovered from the bullet wound had it not been for the complication of colitis. The autopsy disclosed the wound had healed the other complications were not directly due to the bullet wound.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-10/news/ct-per-flash-cermak-shot-0210-20130210_1_band-shell-chicago-mayor-anton-cermak-bullet

NY Times Article

Born 5/9/1873 - 3/6/1933

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B00E7DC1F3BE233A25755C0A9659C946294D6CF

Anton Cermaks importance to Chicago politics

Anton Joseph "Tony" Cermak was an American politician of Czech origin who served as the mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1931 until his assassination in 1933

Although Cermak is credited with building the Democratic political machine in Chicago, he is best known for taking a bullet intended for the president of the United States, becoming the second Chicago mayor to be shot to death while in office. Ever since he was elected to office their has not been a republican mayor.

After being shot Cermak was immediatley attended to

by his son-in-law Dr. Frank Jirka. He was going into shock he was asked if he recognized his daughter. He said yes and asked for a kiss. He was then taken to the hospital in Miami where he spent 19 days in a coma until he was pronounced dead on march 6, 1933

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/chi-chicagodays-cermak-story-story.html