🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled Death by Lightning, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

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 support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, 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 specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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