🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and John F 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 religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“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 era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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