🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a television production titled Death by Lightning, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member 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 Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed 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 annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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