🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, 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 shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent 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 didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law