🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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