🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative 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.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist 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.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare 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 thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing 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 significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law