🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law