🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information 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 just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. 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 surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“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 never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash 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 rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama 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 thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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