Assassination of James A. Garfield

On July 2, 1881, at 9:30 AM, James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., less than four months into his term as president. The shooter was Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed and delusional office seeker, who had distributed copies of a speech he wrote aimed at promoting Garfield in the 1880 United States presidential election. Guiteau believed his campaigning had been vital to Garfield's eventual victory, and that Garfield owed him a diplomatic post in Europe for his assistance. After months of failed attempts to solicit such a reward from the Garfield administration, he purchased a revolver and began stalking Garfield with the goal of assassinating him.

Guiteau shot Garfield twice from behind; one bullet grazed Garfield; the other entered his back. Garfield was carried back to the White House, where he underwent medical treatment for over two months. His condition fluctuated, though generally worsened over time as he began to suffer from sepsis and infection. His treatment in part consisted of doctors trying in vain to find the bullet still lodged in his body; by doing so, they likely aggravated his existing wounds and introduced new sources of infection, decreasing his chances of survival. Garfield was later transported by train to a mansion in Elberon, New Jersey, where he died at 10:30 p.m. on September 19 and was succeeded by his vice president, Chester A. Arthur. Garfield was the second American president to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Guiteau's trial was widely publicized, and his legal team's attempts to use the insanity defense failed. Guiteau was sentenced to death and executed by hanging.