🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law