White House intruders
Encyclopedia
The White House
is the official residence
(Executive Residence
) and office space (West Wing
) of the President of the United States
. Extensive security measures are used to protect the White House, primarily through the United States Secret Service
.
There have been four assassinations of U.S. presidents and many more assassination attempts. None of the assassinations occurred at the White House, and only one attempt occurred there (see below). Most intruders who come to the White House
do not try to harm the President (who may not even be in residence), but are usually attempting to attract attention to their causes or ideas (e.g. Anthony Henry) or are intruding accidentally (e.g. a plane inadvertently flying into White House airspace).
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks
, the restricted airspace
above the White House has been expanded and better enforced.
Currently, a fence surrounds the White House, but it did not always exist. Though at various points since the time of Thomas Jefferson
, various fences and gates were added to shape or constrain public access, greater public access to the White House grounds than was common in comparable European institutions was possible (with some restrictions) up until World War II
. After World War II, public access to the White House grounds has been increasingly restricted.
During the Clinton administration the fence was expanded by one block to move traffic farther from the White House to prevent damage from any car bomb.
Police built barricades on the streets surrounding the White House in 1983.
In November 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez
was taken into custody in Indiana, Pennsylvania
(near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in connection with bullets fired near the White House- at least two of which impacted- on Constitution Avenue
, NW (near The Ellipse and the closed Washington Monument
), at least one of which was stopped by bullet-proof glass, the other having hit the exterior; it is unknown whether the White House was a target or was even involved- the President and First Lady were in Hawaii
for the APEC Summit meeting at the time. A suspect was seen fleeing into Virginia
from the 23rd Street
, NW, entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
from an abandoned car left near there.
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
is the official residence
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
(Executive Residence
Executive Residence
The Executive Residence is the central building of the White House Complex located between the East Wing and West Wing. This central building, first constructed 1792–1800, is home to the President of the United States and the First Family. The Executive Residence primarily occupies three floors:...
) and office space (West Wing
West Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...
) of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Extensive security measures are used to protect the White House, primarily through the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
.
There have been four assassinations of U.S. presidents and many more assassination attempts. None of the assassinations occurred at the White House, and only one attempt occurred there (see below). Most intruders who come to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
do not try to harm the President (who may not even be in residence), but are usually attempting to attract attention to their causes or ideas (e.g. Anthony Henry) or are intruding accidentally (e.g. a plane inadvertently flying into White House airspace).
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, the restricted airspace
Restricted airspace
Restricted airspace is an area of airspace in which the local controlling authorities have determined that air traffic must be restricted for safety or security concerns...
above the White House has been expanded and better enforced.
Currently, a fence surrounds the White House, but it did not always exist. Though at various points since the time of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, various fences and gates were added to shape or constrain public access, greater public access to the White House grounds than was common in comparable European institutions was possible (with some restrictions) up until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After World War II, public access to the White House grounds has been increasingly restricted.
During the Clinton administration the fence was expanded by one block to move traffic farther from the White House to prevent damage from any car bomb.
Police built barricades on the streets surrounding the White House in 1983.
In November 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is an American charged in the attempted assassination of President of the United States Barack Obama on November 11, 2011...
was taken into custody in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
(near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in connection with bullets fired near the White House- at least two of which impacted- on Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
, NW (near The Ellipse and the closed Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
), at least one of which was stopped by bullet-proof glass, the other having hit the exterior; it is unknown whether the White House was a target or was even involved- the President and First Lady were in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for the APEC Summit meeting at the time. A suspect was seen fleeing into Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
from the 23rd Street
23rd Street
23rd Street may refer to:* 23rd Street , a street in New York City* 23rd Street , a street in Richmond, California.* 23rd Street Grounds, a former Chicago, Illinois baseball park used during the late 19th century...
, NW, entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is located in Washington, D.C. It carries Interstate 66 and U.S. Highway 50 over the Potomac River near the Kennedy Center, connecting the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia, with Washington...
from an abandoned car left near there.
Successful and attempted intrusions
Times given are local time.- April 13, 1912 – Michael Winter
- December 21, 1922 – Paul McDaniel
- April 3, 1934 – Benoit Bousquie
- January 18, 1937 – Sam Muller
- February 17, 1974 - Robert K. PrestonRobert K. PrestonAt 2 A.M. on February 17, 1974, Robert K. Preston, a United States Army private first class, stole a United States Army UH-1 Iroquois helicopter from Fort Meade, Maryland, flew it to Washington, D.C., and hovered for six minutes over the White House before descending on the south lawn, about...
- February 1974 - Samuel ByckSamuel ByckSamuel Joseph Byck was an unemployed former tire salesman who attempted to hijack a plane flying out of Baltimore-Washington International Airport on February 22, 1974. He intended to crash into the White House in the hope of killing U.S...
(unsuccessful assassination attempt) - December 25, 1974 (7:07 a.m.) - Marshall H. FieldsMarshall Fields (White House intruder)Marshall Fields was involved in a 1974 Christmas Day intrusion into the grounds of the White House complex. Although he eventually surrendered, Fields threatened White House security during negotiations that lasted for four hours. Along with an intrusion by Robert K. Preston in February of the same...
- November 26, 1975 and again December 6, 1975 – Gerald B. GainousGerald GainousGerald B. Gainous was a resident of Washington D.C. who climbed the fence surrounding the White House four times in 1975 and 1976 during the Ford administration....
- July 27, 1976 – Chester PlummerChester PlummerChester Plummer was a taxi driver in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States who attempted to invade the White House.On July 27, 1976, Plummer scaled the White House fence, armed with a piece of pipe. While advancing towards the White House, he was ordered to stop by a Secret Service...
- April 7, 1976 – Andrea Copsey
- December 1, 1976 – Steven B. Williams
- October 1978 - Anthony Henry
- March 3, 1984 – David MahonskiDavid MahonskiDavid Allen Mahonski was an electrician from Williamsport, Pennsylvania who was shot by a White House guard on 15 March 1984. The 25-year-old had been under FBI surveillance for making threats against then-president Ronald Reagan...
- January 28, 1985 – Robert LattaRobert LattaRobert Allen Latta was a water meter reader known for being a White House intruder.Latta, of Denver, Colorado, holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering but worked as a water meter reader for the Denver water department, where he held the Denver meter-reading record of 600 readings in a...
- March 15, 1985 – Chester Ramsey
- August 21, 1986 (1:15AM) - Rosita Bourbon
- November 21, 1987 – Mike Davis
- December 5, 1988 – Patrick Jude Laughlin
- 1991 - Gustav Leijohhufved
- September 12, 1994 – Frank Eugene CorderFrank Eugene CorderFrank Eugene Corder crashed a stolen Cessna 150 onto the South Lawn of the White House early on September 12, 1994, apparently trying to hit the building; he was killed, and was the sole casualty.-Background:...
- October 29, 1994 – Francisco Martin DuranFrancisco Martin DuranFrancisco Martin Duran is most known for his actions of October 29, 1994, when he fired 29 rounds from an SKS rifle at the White House...
- May 24, 1995 - Leland William Modjeski
- October 4, 1996 – Leah Persons
- February 8, 2001 – Robert W. Pickett
- October 4, 2005 – Shawn A. Cox
- April 9, 2006 – Brian Lee Patterson (third time)
- October 13, 2006 – Alexis Janicki
- March 16, 2007 – Catalino Lucas Diaz
- June 9, 2009 – Pam Morgan
- November 24, 2009 – Carlos Allen; Michaele and Tareq SalahiTareq SalahiTareq Dirgham Salahi is a former American vintner and former public official. He and his wife, Michaele, gained national attention in November 2009 by allegedly crashing a White House state dinner in honor of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh...
(see 2009 White House gatecrash incident)
Further reading
- "White House Once a Place That 'Belonged' to Public". New York Times, May 9, 1970. p. 9.
- Public Security Report
- A history of White House security