Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”
Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President
This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.
The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.
“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”
Rising from Poverty to the Presidency
Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.
He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the military position.
“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”
Public Life and Surprise Candidacy
Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.
“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was very important to him.”
At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.
When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. 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 extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.
Truncated Term and Government Conflicts
“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare 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 short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.
The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.
The Assassin and His Psychological Issues
But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.
“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”
But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.
Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.
The Attack and Medical Malpractice
On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.
Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law
