🔗 Share this article

For generations, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, 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 running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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