Comprehensive information and links about Arthur Bremer

Arthur Bremer (born August 21, 1950), the son of a Milwaukee truck driver, shot US Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace on 15 May 1972 in Laurel, Maryland, leaving him paralyzed for life.

Before his brush with infamy, Bremer had been working as a busboy at the Men's Grill in the Milwaukee Athletic Club since 1969, and also added an additional $2.70 an hour job as a janitor at Story Elementary School in the fall of 1970. At the time he obtained his second job, he also studied photography at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. However, after registering for the spring semester at MATC, Bremer dropped out and then moved out of his parent's home that October. At approximately the same time, he was demoted to kitchen work at the Athletic Club in after patrons complained of such idiosycracies as his habit of mumbling to himself, his whistling and his marching in time to music being played in the dining room. Unhappy with this demotion, he filed a complaint with the Milwaukee Community Relations Commission.

While working his janitor job, Bremer met Joan Pemrich, a 15 year-old hall monitor, and in an attempt to impress her, completely shaved off his shoulder-length hair, leaving only his sideburns. Despite the seeming impropriety of his feelings, the couple went on three dates before Pemrich broke off the relationship. Her mother noted after the shooting that she didn't want her daughter dating what she felt was an unstable older man.

His behavior outside of work proved to be equally bizarre, with residents of his apartment building at 2433 West Michigan St. noting that he always had the same wardrobe: blue suit, white shirt and gray tie. In that furnished third-floor apartment that rented for $137.50 per month, Bremer also kept an odd collection of items, including a Confederate flag and a Black Panther Party newspaper, with residents stating that he had no visitors other than his mother. In one instance during a snowstorm the previous winter, Bremer chose to drive his car back and forth over the fallen snow, instead of shoveling it like everyone else.

Bremer was arrested on November 18, 1971 after being stopped for carrying a concealed weapon, and after undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, was fined for disorderly conduct. Despite this arrest, Bremer was able to purchase a a Charter Arms .38 caliber pistol on January 13, 1972 from Casanova Guns, Inc. The gun buy came the same day that Pemrich broke off their relationship and also marked the same day that Wallace announced his third run for U.S. President. On February 1, Bremer purchased a 9mm Browning automatic handgun, one day after he left his janitor's job.

In March 1972, Bremer attended a Wallace campaign meeting at Milwaukee's Red Carpet Airport Inn. At the end of the meeting, Bremer picked up a bundle of posters, bumper stickers and a Wallace lapel button. Over the next few days, he began pasting posters on the lamposts in the city.

In the week leading up to the assassination attempt, Bremer headed east in the 1968 blue Rambler he had purchased on September 14, 1971, stopping in Kalamazoo, Michigan two days before the shooting. Police briefly questioned him when they noticed that he had shown up five hours before Wallace's appearance at a local National Guard armory. Saying he only wanted to get a good seat, Bremer was let go and proceeded onto Maryland.

At the time of the shooting, the blond-haired Bremer was dressed in patriotic red, white and blue and wearing his new campaign button. At approximately 4:00, Bremer opened fire, emptying the weapon before he could be subdued. He hit Wallace four times and wounded three other people: Alabama State Trooper Captain E C Dothard (Wallace's personal guard), Dora Thompson (a campaign volunteer) and Nick Zarvos (a Secret Service agent).

Bremer was well aware of the magnitude of his act. As he was being taken to jail after the shooting, he turned and asked, "How much do you think I'll get for my autobiography".

During his subsequent five-day trial in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, the defense had argued that Bremer was legally insane at the time of the shooting and that he had "no emotional capacity to understand anything", but the court rejected this argument after the prosecution successfully argued that he was perfectly sane. Arthur Marshall, for the prosecution, told the court that Bremer had been seeking glory and was still sorry that Wallace had not died, saying, "he knew he would be arrested... He knew he would be on trial." A jury of six men and six women took just over an hour and a half to reach their verdict and Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison for the shooting.

Part of Bremer's diary was published in 1973 as . In the book, he states that he was not particularly opposed to Wallace's political agenda, which was notable for his pro-segregational stance, but that his primary motive was to become famous, and that he had also stalked President Richard Nixon. Among his comments, Bremer wrote, "Happiness is hearing George Wallace sing the National Anthem or having him arrested for a hit and run traffic accident."

Despite the existence of many conspiracy theories, no one other than Bremer has ever been charged in connection with the shooting. One reason for talk of a conspiracy stemmed from the fact that Bremer's 1971 income tax return stated that he had earned only $1,611, bringing up the question of how Bremer's paid for his travels while stalking Wallace. Another was based on the owner of Bremer's apartment building allowing reporters into the alleged assassin's apartment the night of the shooting. Some journalists were later seen leaving with items from Bremer's place.

Bremer would serve as the inspiration for the Travis Bickle character played by Robert DeNiro, in (1976). In an ironic twist, the film would be termed as a motivating factor in John Hinckley, Jr.'s decision to shoot President Ronald Reagan.

Arthur Bremer is serving time at the Maryland Correctional Institute. If not paroled, he will be released in 2025. With time off for good behavior, Bremer could be released in 2015, but according to 1997 parole records psychological testing indicated releasing Bremer would be risky.

Trivia

Bremer's apartment was three blocks away from the apartment where Jeffrey Dahmer killed many of his victims.