The Sixth Street rail station was later demolished. The question of Presidential disability was not addressed. [35] Garfield had no bodyguard or security detail; early presidents did not employ them, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.[34]. [19] Now his mania took a violent turn, and he decided that he had been commanded by a higher power to kill the President. "[41] This statement briefly led to unfounded suspicions that either Arthur or his supporters had put Guiteau up to the crime. By September, a massive infectionmost likely caused by his medical treatmenthad left Garfield with a persistent fever and abscesses over his entire body. Former President Ulysses S. Grant was the early front runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 1880 and was supported by the Stalwart faction. As per request with the executioner, Guiteau signaled that he was ready to die by dropping the paper. It didn't take long for the surgical site to become infected with sepsis - an infection that eventually leads to complete organ failure of the entire body. Article II, section 1, clause 6 of the Constitution says that in case of the "Inability [of the President] to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President", but gives no further instruction on what constitutes inability or how the President's inability should be determined. Guiteau went on trial in November,[72] represented by his brother-in-law George Scolville. [57] Nutrient enemas were given in an attempt to extend his life because he could not digest food. Remarkably, it would not be until the assassination of William McKinley some twenty years later that Congress would finally task the United States Secret Service (founded to prevent counterfeiting) with the responsibility of ensuring the president's personal safety. Guiteau famously danced his way up to the gallows and waved at the audience from the gallows, shook hands with his executioner, and, as a last request, recited a poem that he had written called "I am Going to the Lordy". [70], Garfield's body was taken to Washington, where it lay in state for two days in the Capitol Rotunda before being taken to Cleveland, Ohio, where the funeral was held on September 26.[71]. He said, "I hope—my God, I do hope it is a mistake", but confirmation by telegram came soon after. [79] He requested an orchestra to play as he sang the poem; it was denied. New College of Florida, © Copyright 2019. Guiteau fired again, and Garfield collapsed. He remained bedridden in the White House with fevers and extreme pains. Comments are moderated and require approval. Charles Guiteau turned to politics after failing in several ventures, including theology, a law practice, bill collecting, and spending time in the utopian Oneida Community. Sentenced to be hanged, Guiteau climbed the scaffold on June 30, 1882, convinced that he had done God's work. Guiteau, age thirty-nine at the time, was known around Washington as an emotionally disturbed man. Luckily, that's not the case anymore. Garfield's assassination was instrumental to the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act on January 16, 1883. [17] On May 13, 1881, he was banned from the White House waiting room. ", flinging up his arms. The rapidly gathering crowd screamed, "Lynch him", but Kearney and several other police officers took the assassin to the police station a few blocks away. It was an act of God, resulting from a political necessity for which he was responsible." Garfield, like many other presidents, often preferred to interact directly with the public, and although some form of security was almost certainly in place, a comprehensive security detail had not been seriously considered by either Congress or the president up to that point. [27] The letter was ignored,[28] as was all the correspondence that Guiteau sent to the White House. [26] He wrote a letter to Garfield, saying that he should fire Blaine or "you and the Republican party will come to grief". On Sep. 19, 1881, James Abram Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, died. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, James A. Garfield: Death of the President, Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. On the other hand, Garfield's term was marked (for the most part) by peacetime, and a general complacency with respect to presidential security had developed by this time.

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