🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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