James A. Garfield Assassination
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Charles J. Guiteau
Suspect1841-1882The assassin who shot President Garfield after becoming convinced he deserved a patronage appointment for helping elect the Republican ticket.
4 linked events2 sourcesBaltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site +2 moreNarrative notesHide notes
Charles J. Guiteau
Suspect1841-1882The assassin who shot President Garfield after becoming convinced he deserved a patronage appointment for helping elect the Republican ticket.
The assassin who shot President Garfield after becoming convinced he deserved a patronage appointment for helping elect the Republican ticket.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
- 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.
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.
Guiteau Convicted of Murder
The jury finds Charles Guiteau guilty of murder after only an hour of deliberation.
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.'
James A. Garfield
Victim1831-1881The 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.
5 linked events2 sourcesBaltimore and Potomac Railroad Station Site +3 moreNarrative notesHide notes
James A. Garfield
Victim1831-1881The 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
Alexander Graham Bell
Expert1847-1922The inventor who attempted to locate the bullet in Garfield's body using an induction-balance metal detector.
1 linked event1 sourceThe White House, Washington, D.C.Narrative notesHide notes
Alexander Graham Bell
Expert1847-1922The inventor who attempted to locate the bullet in Garfield's body using an induction-balance metal detector.
The inventor who attempted to locate the bullet in Garfield's body using an induction-balance metal detector.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
James G. Blaine
Witness1830-1893Garfield'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.
1 linked event2 sourcesBaltimore and Potomac Railroad Station SiteNarrative notesHide notes
James G. Blaine
Witness1830-1893Garfield'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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
- 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.
Chester A. Arthur
Other1829-1886The vice president who became president after Garfield's death and later signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law.
3 linked events1 sourceChester A. Arthur Residence, 123 Lexington Avenue +1 moreNarrative notesHide notes
Chester A. Arthur
Other1829-1886The vice president who became president after Garfield's death and later signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law.
The vice president who became president after Garfield's death and later signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law.
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.
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.
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.
D. Willard Bliss
Expert1825-1889The physician who took charge of Garfield's treatment and became a central figure in the widely criticized medical care that followed the shooting.
1 linked event1 sourceThe White House, Washington, D.C.Narrative notesHide notes
D. Willard Bliss
Expert1825-1889The physician who took charge of Garfield's treatment and became a central figure in the widely criticized medical care that followed the shooting.
The physician who took charge of Garfield's treatment and became a central figure in the widely criticized medical care that followed the shooting.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Lucretia Garfield
Witness1832-1918Garfield's wife and first lady, who rushed to Washington after the shooting and remained closely involved in his long medical ordeal.
1 linked event1 sourceThe White House, Washington, D.C.Narrative notesHide notes
Lucretia Garfield
Witness1832-1918Garfield's wife and first lady, who rushed to Washington after the shooting and remained closely involved in his long medical ordeal.
Garfield's wife and first lady, who rushed to Washington after the shooting and remained closely involved in his long medical ordeal.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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