🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“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 decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, 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 became a open fight 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 selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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