The following is a guest post by Henry Carter, a Digital Conversion Specialist in the Serial and Government Publications Division.
On July 2,1881, President James Garfield was preparing to board a train in Washington, DC. As he was entering the station’s waiting room, he was shot and seriously wounded. He had served as President for only four months. Thanks to the nation’s telegraph system, news of the event spread rapidly. Two parallel stories emerged in the press: one was the President’s fight for life, the other was the bizarre story of his would-be assassin, Charles J. Guiteau.
Garfield was taken to the White House; there were conflicting opinions concerning his chances for survival. The following day, he seemed to show signs of a recovery, but the doctors were unsuccessful in trying to find the bullet lodged near his pancreas. They used unsterilized instruments and fingers to probe him, and infections set in. Medical science had not yet recognized germ theory, so this was not unusual. Still, the doctors were severely criticized in the press for their treatment of the President. Garfield was moved to the seaside town of Elberon, New Jersey, to escape the summer heat. He would linger there until September 19, when he died of an infection.
While there was a sense of tragedy to Garfield’s story, Guiteau was more of a farce. He had tried to practice law and to lecture on theology, and failed at both. He was an obscure figure, but the press soon learned more about him. Family members and acquaintances told stories of his erratic and sometimes violent behavior. There were also stories of unpaid bills and frequent quarrels.
During the 1880 Presidential election, Guiteau decided to try his hand at politics. Like many political activists of this time, his principal motivation was obtaining a government job. It was common practice for the winning candidate to reward his supporters with federal appointments. This was known as the spoils system and was becoming increasingly controversial.
He joined Garfield’s election campaign but contributed little. He wrote a speech, but it was never delivered. Still, he expected something for his efforts and traveled to Washington. He was well known at the White House and federal offices, which he frequently visited to pester officials for a job. He was especially interested in a diplomatic post but was rebuffed every time. Officials found him annoying, but did not consider him a threat.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, there were rumors of a conspiracy. Garfield’s Vice President, Chester Arthur, had been associated with a rival faction within the Republican Party. Such interparty fights could be serious, and there were suspicions. After the shooting, Guiteau announced that now that Arthur was President, he expected to get the job he wanted, and the press moved on.
The press paid particular interest to the time Guiteau lived at the Oneida Community in New York. The members followed an early form of economic socialism and what was termed “free love.” Members were allowed and even encouraged to have multiple sexual partners, something that both shocked and fascinated Victorian readers.
Guiteau’s trial began on November 17, 1881. The press sensationalized the testimony of witnesses who had interacted with Guiteau and his courtroom antics. He frequently insulted and cursed the judge and witnesses. Defense witnesses provided convincing evidence that he was seriously mentally ill, but this was not enough to save him from execution. He was found guilty and executed by hanging on June 30, 1882.
Discover More
You can search for additional articles on President James A. Garfield through our Chronicling America historic newspaper collection. And be sure to check out this blog post, Did Lucretia Garfield Really Say That? Sourcing the Dialogue in the Netflix Series Death by Lightning from Unfolding History.
The Chronicling America collection is a product of the National Digital Newspaper Program and jointly sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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