TRUE CRIME ATLAS
← Back to all cases

James A. Garfield Assassination

People

Open a person card to read their narrative notes, linked events, and location context inline.

Narrative notes across 4 linked events

The assassin who shot President Garfield after becoming convinced he deserved a patronage appointment for helping elect the Republican ticket.

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station SiteCriminal Court, Judiciary SquareDistrict Jail, Judiciary Square
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site

President Garfield is Shot by Charles Guiteau

President Garfield was shot twice by a disgruntled office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau, as he was entering the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station.

  1. President Garfield and Secretary of State James G. Blaine arrive at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station to catch a train for a summer vacation.
  2. Charles Guiteau emerges and fires two shots from a .44 British Bull Dog revolver. One bullet grazed Garfield's arm, and the second lodged behind his pancreas.
  3. Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
  4. A parade of doctors arrive and begin probing the wound with unsterilized fingers and surgical tools in an attempt to locate the bullet, causing severe infection.
Nov 17, 1881• Criminal Court, Judiciary Square

Charles Guiteau's Trial Commences

Guiteau's murder trial begins in Washington, where he advances an insanity defense while insisting that Garfield was killed by medical treatment rather than by the shooting itself.

Jan 25, 1882• Criminal Court, Judiciary Square

Guiteau Convicted of Murder

The jury finds Charles Guiteau guilty of murder after only an hour of deliberation.

Jun 30, 1882• District Jail, Judiciary Square

Charles Guiteau Executed by Hanging

Charles Guiteau is executed by hanging at the D.C. Jail, two days shy of the one-year anniversary of the shooting. His final words were a recitation of his poem, 'I am Going to the Lordy.'

Narrative notes across 5 linked events

The 20th president of the United States, mortally wounded by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881, and dead 79 days later after prolonged suffering and infection.

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station SiteThe White House, Washington, D.C.Franklyn Cottage, Elberon, New JerseyCriminal Court, Judiciary Square
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site

President Garfield is Shot by Charles Guiteau

President Garfield was shot twice by a disgruntled office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau, as he was entering the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station.

  1. President Garfield and Secretary of State James G. Blaine arrive at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station to catch a train for a summer vacation.
  2. Charles Guiteau emerges and fires two shots from a .44 British Bull Dog revolver. One bullet grazed Garfield's arm, and the second lodged behind his pancreas.
  3. Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
  4. A parade of doctors arrive and begin probing the wound with unsterilized fingers and surgical tools in an attempt to locate the bullet, causing severe infection.
Jul 2, 1881• The White House, Washington, D.C.

President Garfield Endures Weeks of Botched Medical Care

Garfield was moved to the White House, where Dr. D. Willard Bliss directed a prolonged course of treatment marked by repeated probing and contamination. Alexander Graham Bell later attempted to locate the bullet with an induction-balance device, but the larger medical failure remained the era's incomplete adoption of antiseptic practice.

  1. Garfield is transported to the White House. Over the next weeks, Bliss and other physicians repeatedly probe the wound and continue treatment under conditions that worsened infection rather than controlling it.
  2. Alexander Graham Bell attempts to use a rudimentary metal detector (induction balance) to find the bullet, but structural metal in the president's bed frame interferes with the device, giving inaccurate results.
Sep 6, 1881• Franklyn Cottage, Elberon, New Jersey

Transported to Elberon, New Jersey

Hoping that sea air and a quieter setting might improve his condition, Garfield was transported by rail to Franklyn Cottage in Elberon, New Jersey.

Sep 19, 1881• Franklyn Cottage, Elberon, New Jersey

President Garfield Dies

President Garfield died 79 days after the shooting, succumbing to blood poisoning (sepsis) and a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm caused by the infection.

  1. President Garfield passes away in the cottage. The autopsy later confirms that the bullet was lodged behind the pancreas and had not struck any vital organs, meaning the wounds were survivable if not for the widespread infection.
Nov 17, 1881• Criminal Court, Judiciary Square

Charles Guiteau's Trial Commences

Guiteau's murder trial begins in Washington, where he advances an insanity defense while insisting that Garfield was killed by medical treatment rather than by the shooting itself.

Narrative notes across 1 linked event

The inventor who attempted to locate the bullet in Garfield's body using an induction-balance metal detector.

The White House, Washington, D.C.
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• The White House, Washington, D.C.

President Garfield Endures Weeks of Botched Medical Care

Garfield was moved to the White House, where Dr. D. Willard Bliss directed a prolonged course of treatment marked by repeated probing and contamination. Alexander Graham Bell later attempted to locate the bullet with an induction-balance device, but the larger medical failure remained the era's incomplete adoption of antiseptic practice.

  1. Garfield is transported to the White House. Over the next weeks, Bliss and other physicians repeatedly probe the wound and continue treatment under conditions that worsened infection rather than controlling it.
  2. Alexander Graham Bell attempts to use a rudimentary metal detector (induction balance) to find the bullet, but structural metal in the president's bed frame interferes with the device, giving inaccurate results.
Narrative notes across 1 linked event

Garfield's secretary of state, who accompanied him to the railroad station on the morning of the shooting and had previously rebuffed Guiteau's office-seeking demands.

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site

President Garfield is Shot by Charles Guiteau

President Garfield was shot twice by a disgruntled office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau, as he was entering the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station.

  1. President Garfield and Secretary of State James G. Blaine arrive at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station to catch a train for a summer vacation.
  2. Charles Guiteau emerges and fires two shots from a .44 British Bull Dog revolver. One bullet grazed Garfield's arm, and the second lodged behind his pancreas.
  3. Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
  4. A parade of doctors arrive and begin probing the wound with unsterilized fingers and surgical tools in an attempt to locate the bullet, causing severe infection.
Narrative notes across 3 linked events

The vice president who became president after Garfield's death and later signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law.

Chester A. Arthur Residence, 123 Lexington AvenueThe White House, Washington, D.C.
Linked events
Sep 20, 1881• Chester A. Arthur Residence, 123 Lexington Avenue

Chester A. Arthur Sworn In as President

Hours after Garfield's death, Vice President Chester A. Arthur took the presidential oath at his home in New York City. He was publicly sworn in again in Washington two days later.

Sep 22, 1881• The White House, Washington, D.C.

Arthur Takes a Second Oath in Washington

To remove any doubt about the validity of the first ceremony in New York, Arthur took the presidential oath again in Washington before Chief Justice Morrison Waite.

Jan 16, 1883• The White House, Washington, D.C.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act Signed

In response to the assassination and its political motivation (the spoils system), President Chester A. Arthur signs the Pendleton Act into law, establishing a merit-based system for federal jobs.

Narrative notes across 1 linked event

The physician who took charge of Garfield's treatment and became a central figure in the widely criticized medical care that followed the shooting.

The White House, Washington, D.C.
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• The White House, Washington, D.C.

President Garfield Endures Weeks of Botched Medical Care

Garfield was moved to the White House, where Dr. D. Willard Bliss directed a prolonged course of treatment marked by repeated probing and contamination. Alexander Graham Bell later attempted to locate the bullet with an induction-balance device, but the larger medical failure remained the era's incomplete adoption of antiseptic practice.

  1. Garfield is transported to the White House. Over the next weeks, Bliss and other physicians repeatedly probe the wound and continue treatment under conditions that worsened infection rather than controlling it.
  2. Alexander Graham Bell attempts to use a rudimentary metal detector (induction balance) to find the bullet, but structural metal in the president's bed frame interferes with the device, giving inaccurate results.
Narrative notes across 1 linked event

Garfield's wife and first lady, who rushed to Washington after the shooting and remained closely involved in his long medical ordeal.

The White House, Washington, D.C.
Linked events
Jul 2, 1881• The White House, Washington, D.C.

President Garfield Endures Weeks of Botched Medical Care

Garfield was moved to the White House, where Dr. D. Willard Bliss directed a prolonged course of treatment marked by repeated probing and contamination. Alexander Graham Bell later attempted to locate the bullet with an induction-balance device, but the larger medical failure remained the era's incomplete adoption of antiseptic practice.

  1. Garfield is transported to the White House. Over the next weeks, Bliss and other physicians repeatedly probe the wound and continue treatment under conditions that worsened infection rather than controlling it.
  2. Alexander Graham Bell attempts to use a rudimentary metal detector (induction balance) to find the bullet, but structural metal in the president's bed frame interferes with the device, giving inaccurate results.

Continue Exploring

These cases share themes, geography, or investigative context with the one you are viewing.

Daveggio-Michaud Minivan Murders

In 1997, James Daveggio and Michelle Michaud used a modified minivan to kidnap, torture, and murder victims in California and Nevada.

solved

Open case file →

Green River Killings

The Green River killings were a long-running series of murders in Washington state that led to Gary Ridgway's conviction in one of America's largest serial-homicide investigations.

solved

Open case file →

Ted Bundy Murders

The Ted Bundy murders were a multistate series of killings between 1974 and 1978 that became one of America's most notorious serial-murder investigations.

solved

Open case file →