🔗 Share this article

For generations, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

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 assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law