Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford

by Geri Spieler

"Spieler offers a portrait of an erratic, unstable woman with a protean capacity to shift identities, with the 1960s and '70s as a dramatic backdrop. Fans of true crime accounts or contemporary history will savor this.”―Publishers Weekly

President Gerald Ford suffered two attempts on his life during his term in office: one by a young woman in Charles Manson's Family, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, and the other by a far more unlikely candidate—an average middle-aged mother of five—Sara Jane Moore. After thirty years in contact with Moore in prison, journalist Geri Spieler deconstructs her life in Housewife Assassin, tracing the path from Moore’s small-town upbringing in West Virginia to that fateful moment when she tried to assassinate the president.

Throughout Moore’s dodgy life she hid her identity and misled those around her. Through the turbulent 60s and 70s, she married five times, abandoned children, faked amnesia, befriended Patty Hearst’s father, became a revolutionary, and worked as an FBI informant turned double agent feeding information to the underground radicals, all before the assassination attempt.

From Spieler’s insider correspondence and independent research, including interviews with President Ford himself, she confirms details (the gunshot missed the President’s head by six inches) and debunks others (Sara Jane did not “shoot wild” as the press had reported) to deliver a compelling profile of a society lady turned elusive assassin.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Historical, Audiobook, History, American History, Biography

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2008

About the author

Geri Spieler is the author of the historical novels Revenge of the Sisters: A Tale of Retribution and Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss, and Liberation. Her first book, Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford, a true crime book, was first published in 2009 and republished in 2023. Geri lives near San Francisco with her husband, a lively brood of backyard chickens, and an orchard that bursts every Spring with apricots, plums, peaches and plurries.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Like most Americans, I started this book knowing virtually nothing about Sara Jane Moore aside from her having been one of two women who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford. I was skeptical going in; it seemed unlikely that there would be enough information to fill an entire book, and I expected there would be plenty of fluff to pad it out. Color me surprised then to discover that Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford was not only well-paced and tightly written, but undeniably fascinating. There are so many true crime accounts of high-profile male killers that most of us can imagine the kind of personality a man in this situation would have, but there are far fewer examples, and analysis, of their female counterparts. Throughout the course of Housewife Assassin, Geri Spieler paints the picture of a woman desperate to find acceptance, purpose, and adoration. Sara Jane wore identities like Halloween costumes, and each time she threw her entire self into mastering the role. When being an honors student didn't work out, she tried the military. When that failed to inspire her, she returned to her home in West Virginia and settled down as a small-town housewife. When motherhood became too demanding, she abandoned her children without a word of notice and headed to California, where she posed as a singleton and landed herself an entertainment executive husband. When her efforts to live as a conservative suburban mother failed to get her anywhere, she pursued social justice causes instead, befriending many colorful activists and coming under the eye of the FBI. She juggled dual roles as an activist and FBI informant before finally going over the edge, firing her gun at Ford and landing herself in jail for several decades.

No matter how chaotic Sara Jane's life became, however, the same habits persisted. She was desperate for attention and yearned to be beloved and important, and sought to fulfill these need through lying, bullying, manipulating, and tossing aside the people closest to her whenever she found a new obsession. She was married more times than I can recall, frequently changing her name. In prison, she converted to Judaism, became a kosher chef, and concocted a fake backstory about her family taking in Jewish refugees. The assassination attempt was borne out of a theory she and her fellow activists had that if Ford was killed and then succeeded by his Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller, the American people would become so enraged by his right-wing tyranny that they would rise up, topple the government, and create a socialist utopia like China. This was as hairbrained as it sounds: Rockefeller was the former governor of New York and had been considered so moderate that Ford had to drop him as a running mate in 1976, and most Americans had little regard for either socialism or the Chinese government. But what could immortalize Sara Jane more than going down as a martyr for the cause?

Unlike the Charles Mansons and Jim Joneses of the world, Sara Jane never found the acceptance or idolization that she craved. She had a tendency to repel her peers no matter where the setting, and there is (almost) something tragic about that. Spieler doesn't try to diagnose Sara Jane with a personality disorder or declare her a sociopath. She doesn't pass much judgment on her subject at all, really, preferring to let the facts speak for themselves. As context, Spieler provides a harrowing look at a rapidly-changing America and the strife and danger that pervaded the 1970s. Sara Jane was a product of her time in some ways, but there is little doubt that she would be pulling the same routine if she were a young person today, just with different organizations and ideologies. Housewife Assassin is an excellent character study, and it is a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in true crime, history, or psychology.

[Kristi Betts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew of Sara Jane Moore from the musical Assassins mentioned in the book. However, I knew nothing of her life prior to or following the September 22, 1975 attempt on President Ford's life. Spieler has created an insightful account of Moore's life.

Moore seems to be a complex and interesting character creating herself over and over as her life went forward. It almost seems as if she had multiple personality disorder because of the way she was reinventing herself so many times throughout her life.

I found this book to be not only an excellent look into the life of a would-be assassin but also into the mental decline of "a housewife".

[Jon]

Before reading this I knew nothing about Sara Jane Moore except that she tried to kill Jerry Ford in 1975, just after Squeaky Fromme's abortive attempt to do the same. This book tells the story of this troubled woman who, for several years before the assassination attempt, spied on SF Bay Area progressive groups for the FBI while increasingly coming to sympathize with those groups' positions. Her abrasive personality reminds me somewhat of Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Or maybe Christopher Marlowe, who also tried to work both sides of the street. Unfortunately--while offering a great deal of useful insights and information about Left politics of the era--Spieler apparently also felt obligated to provide a cliched timeline of changes in post-WWII American life, including a reference to feminists burning their bras (which never happened) and a line about punk and disco music in the early 70s. (Timeline's off by about 5 years there, Ms. Spieler.) An appendix includes a short interview with Ford, who told Spieler he had "nothing to say" to Moore. Then again, what would you expect from the man Alice Roosevelt Longworth called "poor, dull Jerry"? Why Moore really shot at Ford will probably forever remain a mystery, even to Moore herself--who is still alive and has been released from prison--but this book will be the definitive work on this largely forgotten, little-understood incident.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I saw a production of Sondheim's Assassins, and that made me want to know more about Sara Jane Moore. This seemed like a good book, since the author had been in communication with Moore beginning shortly after the assassination attempt. Fascinating insights into the story and the person, not just for what she knows, but for what she says she couldn't find out from Moore. Well worth the time to learn a little bit more about her.

[Sena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars. Overall, seemed well-researched and painted an intriguing picture of Sarah Jane Moore's life. A bit difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters, especially for someone unfamiliar with these events and organizations in a historical context. The end picked up quite a bit, but the middle was bogged down with a bit too much detail going this way and that; the book also felt a bit long overall, and could have benefited from being condensed slightly.

I received an ARC in exchange for an an honest review.

[Jmlanier1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about Sara Jane Moore. Sara Jane attempted to assassinate President Ford in 1975 in San Francisco about two weeks after Squeaky Fromme’s (Manson family) failed attempt to do the same in Sacramento. If not for a faulty sight on her 38 special, Ford would have been shot in the head. This in-depth look at Sara Jane from childhood until the early 2000s is based on the author’s three decades of correspondence with her from various prisons. Although sometimes referred to as just a suburban housewife, Sara Jane was a much deeper and flawed person. After working as an informant for the FBI and infiltrating radical left organizations, she hatched a plan to kill Ford. Gerald Ford had replaced Agnew as vice president and then Nixon as president. She believed that with Ford eliminated, Rockefeller would slide into the presidency and the people would revolt as the wealthy Rockefeller was so disconnected from regular people. This theory, like Sara Jane, was flawed. I loved the history in this book including 1970s politics in California, the criminal justice system, radical organizations, and the Patty Hearst kidnapping.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard to explain how crazy things were in the mid-‘70s but here’s a bit of trivia for the kids: in September 1975 two different women tried to assassinate the President seventeen days apart.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One might expect a murder attempt from Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme a member of the Charles Manson gang but on first glance no one would expect it from Sarah Jane Moore. A mother of five children who she abandon and five marriages all ending in divorce it seems Sarah Jane Moore didn’t know who she wanted to be she try to make friends with the infamous for a little while work for the FBI and at the same time was Friends with revolutionaries. From the beginning of the audiobook I thought she sounded flaky and my opinion didn’t change much. I at first didn’t want to listen to this book because I thought I knew the story but OMG Sarah Jane Moore is a mess and her story and an attempted murder about President Gerald Ford but there is so much more to this flaky woman than you could even imagine. With the author she was temperamental demanded gifts and then one day just abruptly stopped talking to him. This book was so so interesting I wish I could buy the world a copy so everyone could listen. If you love to read about those on the wrong side of the law or just want to know the history you should read this book. I wish I could give a better summary because this book was so interesting and so good but this is my best attempt and I’m just going to say I highly recommend this audio book I loved the narrator and it is a total five-star listen. I received this book from netGalley end Highbridge audio but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Neal Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Jane Moore tried to assassinate President Ford in 1975. Regrettably, but unsurprisingly, this biography fails to get the reader into her headspace. It's unsurprising for several reasons: because the book was published more than 30 years after Moore was imprisoned, because she not only refused to discuss her family but pretended they didn't exist, and because this was only one of her bizarre personality traits.

When she was struggling to raise her three young children in California, she asked her mother if they could all stay with her in West Virginia for a while. At the airport, the cabin crew handed over the three kids to their grandmother, but Sarah Jane hadn't travelled with them.

On the one hand Sarah Jane wanted to be the centre of attention, on the other hand she completely lacked empathy and hardly made friends.

Another paradox, which is hard for the author to unwrap, is that Moore was sent by the FBI into the Bay Area radical underground as an informant, only for her to take one of the most radical and violent actions possible.

This book suggests that Moore’s motivation was the ideology she'd acquired from those she was went to spy on. There’s also a podcast series (Rip Current) that suggests that she was looking for a grand gesture to convince those radicals not to kill her, despite her being a snitch.

Overall, a somewhat detached view of an intriguing individual and milieu.

[Debra Gaynor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford
Geri Spieler
There were two attempts on President Gerald Ford’s life while he was in office. On September 5, 1975, Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, a member of Charles Manson’s family, stood about 3 feet from the President, pointed a pistol at him and pulled the trigger, she had not chambered a round, the gun did not fire. Seventeen days later Sara Jane Moore, a middle-aged mother of five stood 40 feet away from the President when she pulled the trigger of a .38 caliber revolver. The bullet missed the head of the President by six inches.
It is unfair to blame her family for the crimes committed by Moore. Her family is described as emotionally cold. While Sara shined in both academics and extra-curricular endeavors in school; she was surly and snobbish. She was not well liked and had no friends. She was married five times and abandoned her children. She associated with extremist groups however they came to distrust her. Her erratic behavior kept her in isolation much of her time in prison.
Author Geri Spieler offers readers insight into Sara Jane Moore. It is clear she was unstable.

[Nan Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authored by a less skilled writer than Geri Spieler, a biography of Sara Jane Moore could have fit in the category of lurid, yellow journalism. Or it could have forced the author’s own assessment of Moore on the reader. Or it could have been a dry, superficial chronology of events.
But Spieler has carefully avoided those traps, and presented us with a unique story. It’s stuffed with facts: names, dates, agencies, events, assessments, quotes, interviews, and the like – all bundled into an engaging picture of a woman whom most people have never heard of. I remember the attempt on President Ford’s life, but I never thought much about the would-be assassin.
Spieler brings Sara Jane Moore to life. We see her in minute detail, yet no one word can describe her, and Spieler wisely makes no attempt to “solve” the puzzle of who she is. Each reader must come away from the book with his own assessment, and I am still scratching my head.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does this book paint a fascinating, if ultimately confounding, portrait of the woman who attempted to kill Gerald Ford, it brings to life a period in history that I missed because I was a child when it happened.

Spieler scrutinizes Sara Jane Moore's life for clues about what led her to this act of violence. Despite Spieler's personal relationship with Moore--they first met when Moore was in prison in 1976--she was never able to penetrate Moore's enigmatic surface. That made me appreciate the history in the book. I learned so much about the anti-war movement in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In a straightforward yet absorbing journalistic style, "Taking Aim at the President" mixes biography with history. Spieler's in-depth research included anti-war activists, FBI agents, and President Ford himself. If you like learning the story behind the story from people who were making history, you'll enjoy this book.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must confess that, even though I lived through this tumultuous period of time, I had forgotten that there had been two attempts to assassinate President Ford. Both attempts were made by women. I remember when Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme tried to kill Ford, probably because she was a household name as a member of the Charles Manson “family”. I completely forgot about Sara Jane Moore.

This was fascinating. I knew nothing about Moore, and learned a lot from reading this book. I came away feeling that this woman was clearly insane. Her entire life was completely dysfunctional. It amazes me that she was able to obtain a gun, even in those pre 9/11 days. Had the gun not been faulty, she might have succeeded, and history would have been completely different.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geri Spieler managed to write a concise history of events and social influences that came together to foster the circumstances in which a woman who is either intelligent beyond all of us or mentally ill past our comprehension managed to nearly do the unthinkable. And weirdly, I went back and forth between whether I thought her mentally ill or insanely intelligent--both have arguments going for and against them. Regardless, my heart broke multiple times over for her children. I am glad that they all had people who stepped in to protect their privacy to their best extent and my hope is that they have had a chance to move past the trauma of abandonment.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars are for the fact that the book offered a look at a bizarre housewife/activist's intersection with history in the 1975 near-assassination of President Gerald Ford. However, the information on Sara Jane Miller's association with leftist organizations and the FBI in the mid-1970s goes deeply into the weeds, yet the connections are ultimately important. The book is occasionally repetitive and suffers from the subject's decision to cut ties with the author even before Moore was released from prison but does tell the story of an odd woman's choices in life, from abandoning her original children to nearly missing Ford because of a bad gun sight.

[Joan Gelfand · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the promise of this fabulous book is to analyze the life and times of the very complicated Sara Jane Moore, it delivers so much more.
For anyone who has an interest , or who lived through the 70's, Geri Spieler provides some great back story on the many life changing events of the time - bombings by the SLS, the kidnapping of P. Hearst, the Black Panthers and more.

A terrific read and insight into the times that changed so much in America.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

I received an audio ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The book was interesting. But it was very very repetitive. It kept me interested most of the time, but when the part that was repeated again and again came about I'd start to zone out. Overall an okay book. I also felt like the author put a bit too much of her own political view into the book.

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a nearly forgotten assassination attempt and the woman behind it. Spieler does a great job of showing what was going on in the culture at the time, especially with the radical leftist groups in San Francisco (which Sara Moore first infiltrated for the FBI and then became sympathetic with). Surely, this is one of the strangest assassination stories and a great read!

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting book about Sara Jane Moore,the 40 something housewife who,tried to assassinate Gerald Ford. she lead a very interesting life had 5 children 4 of whom she abandoned. worked as an FBI informant and ultimately for unknown reasons decided to assassinate the president. that she missed by 6 inches only because of a faulty site was scary.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent telling of the story of not only Sara Jane Moore, but the whole political scene in the 70's - FBI, extremest groups, etc. Although I lived through it myself, I learned so much I didn't know about those times. The book is well written and very readable.

[Shoshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. Sara Jane comes across as a narcissist who was only interested in gaining fame. I also felt there was a lot of filler that seemed to have very little to do with Sara except maybe tangentially

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting as I did not know anything about this story and it was fascinating to learn more. Well narrated.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

[Suzanne Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea how the subject matter of this book could be so dull, but it definitely was. It seemed to me that the author took too much time situating Sarah Jane within the historical context, that often times the point of the book was lost.

[Sandy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Housewife” is a bit of a misnomer, but only a bit. I want to say it was Eric Hoffer who wrote that we run fastest and farthest when we run from ourselves. That line definitely fits Sara Jane Moore. Unsurprisingly the FBI is involved.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

a far better history than this little attention-mad nobody of a would-be assassin either deserved or required.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot at Gerald Ford (Hardcover)
by Geri Spieler
Change edition


Contains footnotes/bibliography

[Marty Doskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting look into the life and mind of Sara Jane Moore, one of the two women who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford during his time in office. She was definitely a "woman of mystery" to all of those around her - her many husbands, her children, the FBI. Author Geri Spieler paints a picture of a life of mental instability. But even with this, the FBI decided to use her as an informant. Plus, she was only six inches from successfully killing the President of the United States.

As with probably most Americans, I only knew the name Sarah Jane Moore, but didn't know anything about her. Thank you Geri Spieler for telling this fascinating story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly feel conflicted about this book. On one hand, this book was an absolute page turner-The turbulent atmosphere of the Bay Area in the 1970's, the infiltration by the FBI, even the legal system-I learned so much and it was fascinating. And before finding this book, I had no idea that ANYONE tried to assassinate President Ford, so it was very interesting.

But there are so many nagging questions that it feels like the author didn't quite do a complete job. How was the author able to approach Moore, and encourage her to open up (at least a little), when so many others failed? How did they continue their correspondence for decades? Did the author like Moore as a person, and consider her a friend? In certain parts of the book, it says Moore really had trouble making friends, and later on it said she communicated with friends in prison. And Moore's life was so unique, the fact that there is no common thread to many of her activities, with the explanation of "nobody could get her to talk about her past", seems inadequate. She seemed to grow up in a loving home, yet she abandoned her own three children, but she seemed like at least a "semi" loving mother to her oldest child from a different father. And finally, did all her revolutionary activities (including shooting the President) really stem from deeply held beliefs, or was she trying to gain attention for her own ego, or to please people she wanted to be her friends?

While somewhat disappointing, it was a most interesting read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Sarah Jane Moore, who almost killed President Ford, and of the author's friendly relationship with her and the eventual research and writing of this book.

Not my usual type of reading, but I read it for a book group meeting with the author, and I found it disturbing and interesting.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never got to finish this book because I had to turn it in, but so far, it has been pretty interesting. It's fascinating to think about what could have compelled someone to commit such a crime as attempting to assassinate the president. Was Sarah Jane Moore simply insane, or was there something in her childhood, some experience of sorts that made her make the decision? She grew up in a very perfectionist family; nothing was ever good enough. Within her family, and circle of peers, she often seemed to disappear. Her friends described her as a bit odd. When she was in her late teens, she ran away from home. She later joined the army, almost became a nurse, was a prominent actress, but never followed through on any of these careers. As soon as she got close to accomplishing her goals, she would forget about them and do something else. She was married 5 times, to officers in the army, to a doctor, to a large Hollywood figure. She had at least four kids. Later on, she joined the underground.

I recommend this book to people who are interested in American History, and to people who like reading biographies.