🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

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

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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