🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series 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 illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare 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 forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring 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 banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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