🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “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 changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb 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 incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding 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 prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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