🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds 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 entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual 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 thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

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

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket 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