🔗 Share this article

Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

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 mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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