🔗 Share this article

For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored 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 attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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