🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power 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 nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, 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 calculated he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law