🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these 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 Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant 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 additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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