Arthur Herman Bremer was born August 21, 1950, to Sylvia and William Bremer, who lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fourth of five children, Bremer was raised in a dysfunctional family; his mother had long-standing emotional problems, and his father was a well-meaning but passive alcoholic. Bremer developed into an emotionally troubled young man who, after a disappointing first relationship with a teenaged female, decided to assassinate Richard Nixon. When that failed, Bremer attempted to kill presidential hopeful, Governor George Wallace.

At South Division High School, Bremer had few friends. Except for a brief time on the second-string football team, he did not engage in sports, and he did not date at all. He was perceived as having average intelligence, although later I.Q. tests indicated he was in the "bright-normal" range. After graduating from high school, Bremer held various menial jobs, including janitor at Story Elementary School, and for a...