🔗 Share this article

Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

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, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events 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 reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law