🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law