The individual who was assassinated on April 14, 1865, in Ford's Theatre was President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was attending a performance of "Our American Cousin" when John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, shot him in the back of the head. He died the following day, making him the first U.S. president to be assassinated. Lincoln’s assassination occurred just days after the Confederate surrender, marking a tragic end to his leadership during the Civil War. His death had profound impacts on the nation and left a significant void in leadership as the country entered a difficult Reconstruction era.