🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

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. This work has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions 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 raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, 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 unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed 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 required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

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 wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

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

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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