Charles Guiteau
Charles Guiteau was a former member of the Oneida Community, a religious utopia in New York where despite the practice of open marriage being encouraged he was repeatedly rejected. He remained with the sect for about five years before leaving and attempting to start a newspaper in Hoboken, New Jersey. When that failed he returned to Oneida, briefly, before leaving again and starting a series of lawsuits against the cult’s founder, John Humphrey Noyes, who had business ties with Guiteau’s father. Shortly after this the father described Charles as insane. Charles however believed that he was inspired by God and meant to start a new religion.
Charles next went to Chicago where he acquired a license to practice law, but instead set himself up as a bill collector. He wrote a book in his spare time, which he entitled The Truth. Charles began to preach the message which was found in his book (most of which was copied directly from books by Noyes) and traveled about the east coast, reaching Washington DC in 1877. There he decided that he was meant to enter politics. Garfield wrote a speech in support of former President Grant in the election campaign of 1880, which he revised to support James Garfield when Garfield became the Republican nominee, and distributed copies freely.
When Garfield was elected Charles was convinced that it had been his efforts which led to the Republican victory. Even before Garfield was inaugurated Guiteau was lobbying him for a position in the administration. He suggested that he be awarded an ambassadorship to Austria, when that was rejected he suggested France, and besides approaching the President directly he importuned members of the President’s staff and cabinet, with each suggestion for his employment rejected. Throughout the winter of 1880-81, Guiteau was an almost daily visitor to the offices of government. In May 1881 the Secretary of State, James Blaine, ordered Guiteau not to return.
Guiteau was furious that the system of patronage then in place had not led him to an appointment, and worried that Garfield intended to reform the Civil Service system. Accordingly, in his mind Vice President Chester Arthur was a more suitable occupant of the White House. Guiteau purchased a revolver and began following the President around Washington until on July 2, 1881 he encountered Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road station in Washington. Guiteau approached the President with the weapon concealed in a handkerchief and shot him twice in the back. He then surrendered to the police.
Garfield lingered for many weeks before dying in September, from wounds which he almost certainly would have survived given sterile care. After his death Guiteau was charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty. An attempt to prove him insane failed, though Guiteau asked President Arthur to intervene on his behalf, arguing that his (Guiteau’s) actions had benefitted Arthur by increasing his salary when he became President. Guiteau was executed by hanging in Washington in June 1882. During his incarceration he announced plans to run for President himself in 1884, and published a book defending his act in killing James Garfield.