🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by 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 strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, 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 state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting 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 extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. 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 finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away 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 calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding 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 Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law