John Wilkes Booth

Born: May 10, 1838 in Bel Air, Maryland

Died: April 26, 1865 in Port Royal, Virginia

• He was born into a theatrical family. His father was a famous Shakespearean actor from Britain.
• He had a brilliant acting career of his own.
• Booth was one of the first actors to appear onstage at Ford’s Theatre when it opened. Lincoln watched Booth perform in The Marble Heart.
• John was a fierce Confederate supporter. His brother Edwin, also an actor, was a Union supporter.
• Booth originally planned to kidnap Lincoln and bargain for the release of Confederate prisoners.
• He was enraged that the Union won the war, which was his motive for killing Lincoln. He couldn’t stand to see black suffrage.
• He shot Lincoln in the back of the head while Lincoln and his wife were watching a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre.
• Many Southern supporters were not upset by Lincoln’s death and viewed Booth as a hero.
• He was shot in the back on the Garrett farm after resisting arrest.