On Friday, March 4, 1881, James Abram Garfield (circled) became the twentieth U.S. president.

The night before, Garfield had stayed up late finishing his inauguration speech. (No team of speechwriters in those days.) He didn’t get to bed until after 2:30 a.m..

In the morning, Garfield awoke to sleet and snow. By the time he took his place in front of the U. S. Capitol, the sun had come out and the streets were slushy. Fifty thousand people stood before him, waiting to hear his speech.

His address lasted 35 minutes. Garfield was known for his oratory skills, and he knew how to hold a crowd’s attention. (No teleprompters in those days.) He referred to the Civil War sixteen years earlier and the lingering tensions between North and South. He said that future generations would be grateful “that the Union was preserved, that slavery was overthrown, and that both races were made equal before the law.”  He vowed to protect the voting rights of Blacks in the South.

As a former teacher and college president, Garfield was distressed by the nation’s high rate of illiteracy. He told his audience that the success of democracy depended on educated voters.

Recognizing the public’s disdain for the patronage system, he called for a law regulating civil service jobs within the government based on competence and knowledge, not political connections.

By the end of his speech, Garfield was hoarse. He had strained to make his baritone voice loud enough to be heard by the large crowd. (No microphones in those days.)

One man, Charles Guiteau, was counting on Garfield to appoint him to a government job. Guiteau believed he deserved a high-level diplomatic position because he had helped to get the new president elected. In fact, he had had no role in Garfield’s election and had absolutely no qualifications for such a position.

Rebuffed by both the White House and the State Department, Guiteau’s anger toward James Garfield grew. For weeks, he stalked Garfield as the president walked around Washington. (No Secret Service protection in those days.)  

On Saturday morning, July 2, 1881, Guiteau stepped from the shadows in a Washington railroad station and aimed a gun at James Garfield’s back.

What happened next changed history and resulted in one of America’s most tragic medical fiascoes.