Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”
Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader
This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.
The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.
“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”
Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office
Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.
He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.
“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”
Public Life and Unexpected Nomination
Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.
“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”
At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.
When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”
On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.
Truncated Term and Power Struggles
“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”
The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.
The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.
The Killer and His Disturbed Mind
But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.
“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background 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 excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.
Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.
The Attack and Doctor Errors
On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.
Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law