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Geico Commercial Voice (5:58)

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Lindsey Graham (6:22)

The onion.

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Lindsey Graham (7:01)

From noiser and airship I'm lindsey graham and this is history. Daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is January 30, 1835, the attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson. It's January 31, 1835, in Washington, D.C. the day after Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson. Lawrence sits calmly inside a jail cell while he was willing to say exactly why he tried to shoot the president. Strangely, nobody is questioning him outside his cell. Though rumors are swirling, the extreme polarization of Washington means that nearly every politician in town is accused of masterminding the plot to kill Jackson. Initially considered the most suspect is South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun, Jackson's former vice president, who resigned in scandal. Calhoun is now Jackson's most outspoken critic, and just days before the attempted assassination, he delivers a speech on the Senate floor during which he called Jackson a Caesar in need of a Brutus. But in the current political climate, not Even Jackson's supporters are safe from scrutiny. Martin Van Buren, who was chosen to succeed Calhoun as vice president, has also been accused of masterminding the assassination attorney attempt. It was said that he clearly had the most to gain. Jackson's death would have allowed him to ascend to the presidency. The city's newspapers lead the way in spinning these conspiracy theories. The pro Jackson Washington Globe claims that Lawrence was either hired by a political rival or at the very least incited to violence by the speeches of men like Calhoun. Conversely, the anti Jackson United States Telegraph goes as far as to suggest that the entire attack was staged and that Lawrence was an actor paid by Jacksonians to fire at Jackson with faulty pistols in an effort to win sympathy for the increasingly unpopular president. In the past, Jackson's supporters have planted reports of death threats against him in the media, aiming to drum up support. And so the Telegraph claims, it would not be surprised by any act of moral turpitude committed by his administration. Neither theory is supported by Richard Lawrence, though, whom nobody has tried to interrogate. Suspicion acts faster than the law's ability to ascertain his motives. The nation is so divided that nobody is above exploiting the President's brush with death, least of all President Jackson himself. From the moment Richard Lawrence was apprehended, Jackson believed Mississippi Senator George Poynexer was behind the attack. The two had once been friends. Both were proud, truculent men fond of dueling. They fought alongside each other at the Battle of New Orleans, which ended the War of 1812. And Poindexter defended Jackson years later, amid two of his most controversial scandals. First, when he invaded Spanish Florida without congressional approval, then again when he executed two British soldiers that he captured there. In both cases, Poindexter support helped save Jackson's career. But in recent years, after a series of disagreements, the men have become both political and personal enemies. The animosity reached its peak when Poindexter publicly accused the President of corruption. And in return, Jackson slandered Poindexter in the newspapers, to which Poindexter responded that he would demand satisfaction from the President and shoot him wherever he saw him. Now the President has been shot at twice, and it's no wonder that he suspects Poindexter. What's more, the President has found two men who claim to have seen a man matching Richard Lawrence's description enter Poindexter's home on two occasions, one month and then one week before the failed shooting. This evidence appears damning. So on February 21, 22 days after the attack Poindexter addresses these accusations in the Senate with fiery conviction. He calls for President Martin Van Buren to conduct an investigation. And Van Buren, a sworn enemy of Poindexter, agrees. Whether the Vice President will conduct a fair investigation or doom Poindexter, only time will tell. Meanwhile, two other investigations will take place. One into the pistols used in the attack and another finally into Richard Lawrence himself.

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Lindsey Graham (12:03)

It's early spring, 1835, and the investigation of Richard Lawrence is finally underway. Two doctors now visit Lawrence in his holding cell, hoping to find out why he tried to kill the President. Doctors rather than investigators have been sent to question Lawrence because it's necessary to determine whether he's considered medical insane enough to be convicted. In the days following the shooting, political actors were so eager to capitalize on the event that few considered the possibility that Lawrence was simply mentally ill and acting alone. After the dust settled, though, it quickly became a theory which many considered plausible. The doctors find the young house painter in surprisingly good spirits, seemingly unconcerned with his imprisonment or the impending trial. Lawrence is also remarkably forthcoming for a would be assassin. He tells the doctors immediately that he acted alone and that he wanted to kill Jackson to avenge his father, whom Jackson had murdered years earlier. At first glance, this seems believable, as Jackson is known to have participated in nearly 100 duels. But a man sent to confirm this fact with Lawrence's family discovers it's a lie. Upon further questioning, Lawrence pivots to a different story. That he'd recently been unable to find work and blamed Jackson's economic policies for his misfortune. But this too is soon discovered to be a lie. Finally, Lawrence buckles and reveals his true motivation. He had recently come to believe that he is not actually Richard Lawrence, but that he is in fact Richard III, 15th century king of England, and that Jackson's government has prevented him from collecting a large fortune that he's waiting to inherit. Hearing this, the doctors decide Lawrence is not well. Further questioning of Lawrence's family confirms this. Apparently, Lawrence was a healthy, quiet and responsible man all his life. Until several years ago, when he started acting erratic. First he suddenly announced that he was returning to England, where he was born. He left at once and was gone for a month. When he returned, he revealed that he had not gone to England because it was too cold. He soon disappeared a second time, returning shortly after with a similar story. Then he grew a mustache and developed a sudden enthusiastic interest in fashion, purchasing opulence suits and changing his outfits many times a day. He quit his job and spent his time standing rigidly in his doorway, chin pointed regally up in the air. Children jokingly called him King Richard, at which he nodded his approval. But then, finally, Lawrence grew paranoid and violent. He threatened his maid and tried to bludgeon his sister with a paperweight. He said that Andrew Jackson's efforts to undermine the national bank were preventing him from accessing his fortune, and he swore revenge. He stalked the White House and the Capitol for several weeks, and when he saw his chance, he took it. Once all this is discovered, Lawrence's mental illness is seemingly confirmed. But whether he worked alone or not is still in doubt. Investigators wonder if he was taken advantage of and encouraged to seek his revenge, either by Senator George Poindexter or by a Jacksonian looking to stage an attack and win sympathy for the President. The parallel investigation into the accusations made against Senator Poindexter promises to shed light on the situation. The Investigative Committee, led by Vice President Van Buren, begins by questioning the President himself. Jackson claims that he can supply 50 witnesses linking Poindexter to Richard Lawrence, but only two men agree to sign affidavits. Suspicion immediately falls on them. One worked as a blacksmith for the White House, and the other claimed that Poindexter owes him money. The men's credibility only deteriorates more upon further questioning. One is unable to identify Poindexter's home, which he claims to have seen Lawrence entering. The other was spotted across town at the time, which he claims to have seen Poindexter and Lawrence together. One of them is incapable of describing Lawrence altogether, and perhaps most damningly, by carefully recreating the arrangement of carriages on Poindexter street, the committee discovers that neither man could have seen seen Lawrence entering Poindexter's home, even if they had been present. Now, only one loose end remains to be investigated before the the question of whether the pistols were deliberately rigged to misfire. In search of an answer, District Attorney Francis Scott Key, best known for writing the Star Spangled Banner, interrogates Lawrence. Lawrence claims that neither pistol has ever misfired before, so Scott Key takes the pistols, which have not been touched since the attack, and test them himself. Both pistols fire successfully. He reloads them and repeats the experiment dozens of times. And each time both pistols discharge properly. It will remain unknown how not one but both pistols could have misfired. And Scott Key will have neither the time nor the tools to solve this mystery. Soon, Vice President Martin Van Buren will complete his surprisingly impartial investigation into George Poindexer, declaring the Senator innocent. Just in time for the trial of Richard Lawrence to begin. It's April 11, 1835, inside the Washington, D.C. city Hall. Richard Lawrence is finally facing a judge and jury and a packed house of fascinated onlookers. Lawrence is dressed extravagantly, like the monarch he believes himself to be. He wears a gray shooting coat, a black cravat, a vest, and his best brown pantaloons. Lawrence sits indignantly as the prosecutor, Francis Scott Key, produces countless witnesses who all attest to having seen him attempt to shoot President Andrew Jackson. In the jury's eyes, his guilt is assured. The only thing that can save him now is a ruling of insanity. And while Scott Key tries to convince the jury that Lawrence is only pretending to be insane, it's obvious that no fakery is occurring. Lawrence oscillates wildly between appearing utterly tranquil and lashing out of the courtroom. One moment he stands up and screams at the judge, accusing the United States government of stealing a fortune from him in 1802, when he was only two years old. The next moment, he sinks back into his chair, deflated and whispers that the entire page proceedings are beneath him. When seconds later, he again becomes furious and a deputy restrains him, Lawrence calmly tells the man, mind your own business or I shall treat you with severity. To most present, it seems Lawrence is either the world's greatest actor or he truly believes himself to be the King of England. The doctors who interrogated him inform the jury that they believe his hallucinations are sincere. So when it's finally time for the jury to make a rule ruling, they deliberate for only five minutes before returning with a verdict. Not guilty by reason of insanity. The crowd is strangely relieved. After months of accusations and slander, it's somehow comforting to know that there was no larger plot to overthrow the government involved here. Richard Lawrence is taken to an asylum, where he remains until his death in 1861. He goes down in history as the first person to attempt to assassinate a sitting US president. And for another 30 years, nobody succeeds in that mission until John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln. Over the decades to come three other presidents would be assassinated and two others wounded, a fate Andrew Jackson only narrowly escaped. Years after the attempt on his life, further tests on the pistols were conducted, and it was concluded that the odds of Both misfiring were 1 in 125,000 when Richard Lawrence pulled the triggers trying to escape assassinate the President on January 30, 1835. Next on History Daily, February 2, 1709 British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a Pacific island for more than four years. A story of survival that will inspire the novel Robinson Crusoe. From Noiser and Airship. This is History Daily, hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammad Shahzid sound design by Misha Stanton music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by Owen Long. Executive producers are Alexandra Curry Buckner for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.