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James A. Garfield Assassination

Published March 11, 2026Updated August 15, 2026
May 1, 1881

Guiteau’s patronage grievance hardens into a fixation

After Garfield’s inauguration, Charles Guiteau became convinced he deserved a diplomatic appointment and spiraled into resentment when administration figures repeatedly rejected or ignored him.

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  1. Guiteau had promoted himself as a loyal Republican speaker and came to believe Garfield owed him a consulship, especially the Paris post he coveted.
  2. Repeated rebuffs from Secretary of State James G. Blaine and others turned the imagined reward into a grievance that Guiteau personalized against the president.
Jun 1, 1881

Guiteau stalks Garfield and prepares the attack

In the weeks before July 2, Guiteau bought a revolver, followed Garfield’s movements, and waited for a public opening where he believed he could kill the president and trigger political change.

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  1. Guiteau purchased the British Bull Dog revolver and shadowed Garfield on multiple occasions before deciding the railroad station offered the clearest opportunity.
  2. He increasingly framed the assassination in self-justifying political language, persuading himself that Arthur’s succession would vindicate the act.
Jul 2, 1881

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.

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  1. 9:20 AM
    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. Immediately after
    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. Following minutes
    Guiteau is apprehended immediately by a ticket agent and police officer, declaring, 'I am a Stalwart! Arthur is president now!'
  4. Within the hour
    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

Garfield is moved to the White House as treatment begins

After the shooting, Garfield was transported to the White House, where Dr. D. Willard Bliss took charge of a medical effort that quickly became the center of national attention.

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  1. Afternoon
    Garfield is transported to the White House while physicians continue trying to determine the bullet’s path and stabilize his condition.
  2. Evening
    Dr. D. Willard Bliss emerges as the dominant physician, helping shape the treatment strategy that will govern Garfield’s long decline.
Jul 1, 1881

Repeated probing and infection turn the wound into a prolonged crisis

Through July and August 1881, repeated unsterilized probing, drainage, and improvised treatment deepened Garfield’s infection and transformed a survivable gunshot wound into a fatal medical ordeal.

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  1. Bliss and other physicians repeatedly explored the wound with unsterilized fingers and instruments, worsening contamination instead of controlling it.
  2. Alexander Graham Bell later tried to locate the bullet with an induction-balance device, but interference and flawed medical assumptions prevented a useful result.
Sep 6, 1881

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

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.

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  1. 10:35 PM
    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.
Sep 20, 1881

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

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.

Nov 17, 1881

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

Guiteau Convicted of Murder

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

Jun 30, 1882

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.'

Jan 16, 1883

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.