🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln 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 attorney, he was a minister, 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 relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, 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 executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his jacket 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