Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”
This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.
The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.
“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”
Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.
He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.
“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”
Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.
“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”
At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.
When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”
On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.
“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”
The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.
The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.
But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.
“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”
But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.
Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.
On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.
Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law
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