🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

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

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, 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 conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill 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 route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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