🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

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 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.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member 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 elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon 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 defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency 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 Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, 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 political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law