🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization 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 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 third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law