🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

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 appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law