🔗 Share this article

For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

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

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle 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 nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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