🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln 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 attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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