🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law