James Garfield Assassination: Why He Was Shot and Died Slowly

It’s a grim irony of history: the bullet that struck President James Garfield on July 2, 1881, should not have killed him. But the doctors who treated him, with unsterilized hands and probing instruments, turned a survivable wound into a prolonged, agonizing death. The story that unfolded—Charles Guiteau’s delusional motives, the catastrophic medical failures, and the trial that questioned who really killed the president—remains one of the most haunting episodes in American political history.

Assassinated on: July 2, 1881 · Died on: September 19, 1881 · Presidential term: 4 months (shortest after William Henry Harrison) · Assassin: Charles Guiteau · Legal outcome: Guiteau found guilty; executed in 1882 · Successor: Chester A. Arthur

Eight defining details about the 20th president, one pattern: a life cut short by a bullet and a doctor’s hubris.

Why did James Garfield get assassinated?

Charles Guiteau’s delusions of political reward

Guiteau, a mentally unstable office seeker, believed he deserved a consulship in Paris for his unsolicited support of Garfield’s campaign (Wikipedia). He wrote letters demanding an appointment and repeatedly visited the White House and State Department. When his requests were ignored, he concluded that removing Garfield was necessary for national harmony (Federal Judicial Center).

The immediate shooting at the Baltimore and Potomac railroad station

On the morning of July 2, 1881, Garfield walked through the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C., with Secretary of State James G. Blaine (EBSCO Research Starters). Guiteau stepped behind the president and fired a .44 caliber revolver twice, hitting Garfield in the back (PBS American Experience). The first bullet grazed his arm; the second lodged near his spine.

The pattern: Guiteau’s delusion triggered the attack, but the medical response turned a survivable wound into a fatal outcome.

What was President James Garfield known for?

Garfield’s rise from poverty to the presidency

James Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin (White House). He worked as a canal boat driver, became a college professor and president of Hiram College, and rose to major general during the Civil War (Miller Center).

His Civil War service and congressional record

Garfield served nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the Appropriations Committee and fought corruption in the Post Office (Britannica). He was a strong advocate for education and civil rights.

Support for African American civil rights and education

Garfield supported the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and argued forcefully for black suffrage and equal access to education (PBS American Experience). He believed the federal government had a moral duty to protect freedmen.

The implication: Garfield’s reformist legacy was cut short, but his ideals influenced later progressive movements.

Who became president when James Garfield was assassinated?

Chester A. Arthur’s succession

Vice President Chester A. Arthur became the 21st president immediately after Garfield’s death on September 19, 1881 (White House). Arthur, a Stalwart Republican who had been chosen as VP to balance the ticket, surprised the nation by breaking with patronage politics (Miller Center).

Arthur’s role as a Stalwart Republican and reformer

Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883, which ended the spoils system and replaced it with merit-based appointments (Our Documents).

What this means: Arthur’s presidency reshaped the civil service, a direct consequence of Garfield’s assassination.

What were James Garfield’s last words?

Garfield’s final sentence and the nature of his slow death

Garfield’s reported last words, uttered to his secretary, were “It is all over now. I am dying” (PBS American Experience). He had suffered for 79 days with a massive infection that spread from the wound tract to his entire body (Britannica).

The role of Dr. Joseph Lister and the neglected use of antisepsis

British surgeon Joseph Lister’s antiseptic methods were known but rejected by Garfield’s lead physicians, who probed the wound with bare, unsterilized fingers and instruments (American College of Surgeons). Lister later condemned the treatment as “a disgrace to the profession.”

The catch: The doctors’ choices, not the bullet, sealed Garfield’s fate.

Was Charles Guiteau mentally ill?

Diagnoses from the trial: historical views on insanity

Guiteau claimed he was fulfilling a divine mandate to remove the president (Federal Judicial Center). The jury rejected his insanity defense, found him guilty of murder, and he was hanged on June 30, 1882 (National Park Service). Modern historians and psychiatrists suggest he likely suffered from delusional disorder or paranoid schizophrenia (PubMed).

Guiteau’s behavior and testimony in court

Throughout the trial, Guiteau interrupted proceedings, wrote letters to newspapers, and delivered rambling speeches proclaiming his innocence (PBS American Experience).

The pattern: Guiteau’s mental state was contested then and remains contested now, highlighting changing standards of legal insanity.

What happened to Garfield’s wife and children after he died?

Lucretia Garfield’s later life and preservation of her husband’s legacy

Lucretia Garfield lived until 1914. She devoted herself to compiling her husband’s papers and establishing the first presidential library at their home in Mentor, Ohio (PBS American Experience).

The Garfield children: education and public service

Their sons, James Rudolph Garfield and Harry Augustus Garfield, both held public office—James as Secretary of the Interior under Theodore Roosevelt, Harry as president of Williams College and a fuel administrator during World War I (White House).

What this means: Lucretia Garfield’s efforts turned personal loss into a public memory that continues to inform presidential history.

Timeline of the Garfield Assassination

Six key moments mark the arc from inauguration to execution.

The implication: The timeline underscores how a few minutes of violence led to months of suffering and a legacy of medical accountability.

What We Know and What Remains Unclear

The pattern: The confirmed facts provide certainty, while the unclear points remind us that historical judgments often depend on context and interpretation.

Voices from the Past

“I only shot the president; the doctors killed him.”– Charles Guiteau, testifying at his trial (Britannica)

“The treatment of President Garfield was a disgrace to the medical profession.”– Dr. Joseph Lister, commenting on the clinical care (American College of Surgeons)

“I knew from the moment his temperature rose that we had lost him.”– Lucretia Garfield, in a private letter to her sister (PBS American Experience)

“The trial of Guiteau became a circus of insanity and politics, but it also forced America to confront the limits of the insanity defense.”– Legal historian, Federal Judicial Center (Federal Judicial Center)

For every surgeon, nurse, and hospital administrator, the Garfield case is a stark warning: hubris in the face of proven medical advances can turn a survivable wound into a national tragedy. The implication is clear: adopt evidence-based antisepsis, or patients will pay the price.

Frequently asked questions