🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. 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 legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative 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 special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring 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 prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law