🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

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

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. 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 lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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