🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade 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 very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became 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 selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. 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 finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law