John L. Magee's lithography demonstrates Northern outrage over Brooks's attack on Sumner

Since the United States Congress was established with the 1st Congress in 1789, fourteen of its members have been killed while in office by people seeking to do them harm, and eleven members have suffered serious injuries as a result of such attacks. The members of Congress included in this list were either injured or killed by someone intending to do them serious harm, or there is a serious claim that there was a lethal intent from an unknown assailant (such as the two congressmen who died of the National Hotel disease). The earliest a member of Congress was killed or wounded while in office was 1831 when Spencer Pettis was killed in a duel and the most recent death occurred in 1983 when Korean Air Lines Flight 007, carrying Larry McDonald, was shot down over the Pacific Ocean. The most recent Congress member to be wounded was Rand Paul who was tackled from behind by his neighbor in 2017.

Out of the 14 Congress members killed in office, all of them were male and 10 were Democrats while four were Republicans. Three members died in duels, and a total of nine (six members of the House of Representatives and three senators) died from gunshot wounds.

Eleven Congress members have been wounded while in office. Six of the wounded were Republicans, and five were Democrats. Only one was a woman, and only four were senators. Five of those injured were wounded during the 1954 United States Capitol shooting incident.

Lists [ edit ]

Killed [ edit ]

Party colors: Democratic-Republican Democratic Republican

Wounded [ edit ]

Party colors: Democratic Republican

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]