🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law