🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. 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 dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital 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 nuisance that he was eventually excluded 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 walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law