Richard Pavlick
It was some good police work and a sharp postal inspector that prevented Richard Paul Pavlick from getting Lee Harvey Oswald's spot in the history books as the assassin of John F. Kennedy. On December 15, 1960 (52 years ago today) Pavlick was arrested for attempting to blow up and assassinate the U.S. President-Elect, John F. Kennedy four days earlier.
Pavlick was a retired postal worker from New Hampshire. He stalked U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy, with the intention of assassinating him. On Sunday, December 11, 1960 in Palm Beach, Florida Pavlick intended to carry out the assassination by blowing up Kennedy and himself with dynamite. Despite being a crank, Pavlick wasn't completely without a conscience however. He delayed the attempt because Kennedy was with Jackie and the kids at the time that he was able to stalk the President-elect, and he didn't want the future first lady and the children to be casualties. Fortunately Pavlick's plan was discovered and he was arrested before he was able to stage another attempt.
Pavlick was 73 years old at the time of the assassination attempt. He had previously lived in Belmont, New Hampshire where he had earned a reputation as an grumpy old man. At local public meetings he was prone to angry political rants. These included complaints that the American flag was not being displayed appropriately. He was also critical of Catholics and he focused much of his anger on the Kennedy family and their wealth. On one occasion, Pavlick's anger erupted when he met the supervisor of the local water company at his home with a gun. Fortunately, the gun was taken from Pavlick before he had a chance to use it.
The results of the close 1960 election seemed to send Pavlick over the edge. He gave his run-down property to a local youth camp, loaded his meager possessions into his 1950 Buick and left town. No one seemed to know where he went, and it turned out not to be Beverly Hills.
Thomas M. Murphy, the 34-year-old U.S. Postmaster of the town of Belmont, New Hampshire began receiving bizarre postcards from Pavlick that stated the town would hear from him soon "in a big way." Murphy astutely noticed that the postmarked dates coincided with places where John F. Kennedy was visiting. Murphy called the local police, who in turn, contacted the Secret Service. The Secret Service conducted an investigation and learned that Pavlick recently had purchased dynamite.
It was later discovered that Pavlick had visited the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, photographing the Kennedy home while also checking out the compound's security.
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, December 11, as John F. Kennedy was preparing to leave for Mass at St. Edward Church in Palm Beach, Florida, Pavlick waited in his dynamite-laden car, intending to crash his car into Kennedy's vehicle and cause a fatal explosion. But Pavlick changed his mind after seeing John F. Kennedy with his wife, Jacqueline, and the couple's two small children. While waiting for another opportunity over the next few days, Pavlick visited the church to scope it out for his next attack, but the Secret Service had informed local Palm Beach police to look for Pavlick's car.
On Thursday, December 15, Palm Beach police officer Lester Free spotted Pavlick’s Buick as he entered the city via the Flagler Memorial Bridge into Royal Poinciana Way. Police immediately surrounded the car and arrested Pavlick. Inside the car they found 10 sticks of dynamite.
After his arrest, Pavlick said, "Kennedy money bought the White House and the presidency. I had the crazy idea I wanted to stop Kennedy from being President." On January 27, 1961, Pavlick was committed to the United States Public Health Service mental hospital in Springfield, Missouri. He was indicted for threatening Kennedy's life seven weeks later. Charges against Pavlick were dropped on December 2, 1963, ten days after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas. Judge Emett Clay Choate ruled that Pavlick was unable to distinguish between right and wrong in his actions, but kept him in the mental hospital. The federal government also dropped charges in August 1964, and Pavlick was eventually released from the New Hampshire State Mental Hospital on December 13, 1966. Richard Paul Pavlick died at the age of 88 on November 11, 1975 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Pavlick was a retired postal worker from New Hampshire. He stalked U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy, with the intention of assassinating him. On Sunday, December 11, 1960 in Palm Beach, Florida Pavlick intended to carry out the assassination by blowing up Kennedy and himself with dynamite. Despite being a crank, Pavlick wasn't completely without a conscience however. He delayed the attempt because Kennedy was with Jackie and the kids at the time that he was able to stalk the President-elect, and he didn't want the future first lady and the children to be casualties. Fortunately Pavlick's plan was discovered and he was arrested before he was able to stage another attempt.
Pavlick was 73 years old at the time of the assassination attempt. He had previously lived in Belmont, New Hampshire where he had earned a reputation as an grumpy old man. At local public meetings he was prone to angry political rants. These included complaints that the American flag was not being displayed appropriately. He was also critical of Catholics and he focused much of his anger on the Kennedy family and their wealth. On one occasion, Pavlick's anger erupted when he met the supervisor of the local water company at his home with a gun. Fortunately, the gun was taken from Pavlick before he had a chance to use it.
The results of the close 1960 election seemed to send Pavlick over the edge. He gave his run-down property to a local youth camp, loaded his meager possessions into his 1950 Buick and left town. No one seemed to know where he went, and it turned out not to be Beverly Hills.
Thomas M. Murphy, the 34-year-old U.S. Postmaster of the town of Belmont, New Hampshire began receiving bizarre postcards from Pavlick that stated the town would hear from him soon "in a big way." Murphy astutely noticed that the postmarked dates coincided with places where John F. Kennedy was visiting. Murphy called the local police, who in turn, contacted the Secret Service. The Secret Service conducted an investigation and learned that Pavlick recently had purchased dynamite.
It was later discovered that Pavlick had visited the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, photographing the Kennedy home while also checking out the compound's security.
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, December 11, as John F. Kennedy was preparing to leave for Mass at St. Edward Church in Palm Beach, Florida, Pavlick waited in his dynamite-laden car, intending to crash his car into Kennedy's vehicle and cause a fatal explosion. But Pavlick changed his mind after seeing John F. Kennedy with his wife, Jacqueline, and the couple's two small children. While waiting for another opportunity over the next few days, Pavlick visited the church to scope it out for his next attack, but the Secret Service had informed local Palm Beach police to look for Pavlick's car.
On Thursday, December 15, Palm Beach police officer Lester Free spotted Pavlick’s Buick as he entered the city via the Flagler Memorial Bridge into Royal Poinciana Way. Police immediately surrounded the car and arrested Pavlick. Inside the car they found 10 sticks of dynamite.
After his arrest, Pavlick said, "Kennedy money bought the White House and the presidency. I had the crazy idea I wanted to stop Kennedy from being President." On January 27, 1961, Pavlick was committed to the United States Public Health Service mental hospital in Springfield, Missouri. He was indicted for threatening Kennedy's life seven weeks later. Charges against Pavlick were dropped on December 2, 1963, ten days after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas. Judge Emett Clay Choate ruled that Pavlick was unable to distinguish between right and wrong in his actions, but kept him in the mental hospital. The federal government also dropped charges in August 1964, and Pavlick was eventually released from the New Hampshire State Mental Hospital on December 13, 1966. Richard Paul Pavlick died at the age of 88 on November 11, 1975 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire.