🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. 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 remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law