🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind 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 officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law