Murder of a President

Although James Garfield's tenure in office was tragically brief (about 200 days), many historians feel that his untimely assassination deprived the nation of a potentially great president. Directed by Rob Rapley and narrated by Michael Murphy, this PBS-aired American Experience documentary explores the forgotten presidency of Garfield. Young Garfield grew up desperately poor, and his experience as an officer in the Civil War gave him a lasting hatred of injustice and slavery, as well as a foundation for a promising political career. Garfield had no intention of seeking the presidency in 1880, but his formidable speaking skills led Republicans to draft him after many ballots in their contested convention. His shy wife, Lucretia, reluctantly agreed to support his run, but after his victory Garfield's life was made miserable by constant battles with Senator Roscoe Conkling, who ran New York's spoils system in the city's custom house. The new president was also besieged by an army of office seekers, who demanded payback for their help in the election. Among them was the delusional Charles Guiteau. Abused as a child, probably a paranoid schizophrenic, Guiteau—after being turned down for a patronage position—became obsessed and convinced of the need to "remove" Garfield from office. Buying a fine pistol he hoped would eventually be displayed in a museum, Guiteau shot Garfield on July 2, 1881 in Washington's train station, as the latter was headed to a summer vacation with his wife. Garfield could possibly have survived his wounds, but his friend Dr. William Bliss assumed control of his care, spurned all offers of help from other doctors, and introduced germs and infections during his repeated probes into Garfield's body as he searched for the assassin's bullet (Bliss did accept help from Alexander Graham Bell, who used a metal detector in a fruitless attempt to locate the bullet). The documentary offers a poignant description of Garfield's long "wearisome struggle," which ended when he died that September, after being transported to the New Jersey shore. Based on Candice Millard's 2011 book Destiny of the Republic, and featuring actors Shuler Hensley and Kathryn Erbe as Garfield and his First Lady, this is a fascinating biographical portrait that also includes insights on civil rights, income inequality, lax presidential security, and the 19th century's sometimes primitive medical system. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)