🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

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

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable 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 was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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