🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law