The Forgotten Tragedy: How Medical Missteps Killed US President James Garfield

The Promise and the Tragedy of the 20th President

In the annals of American history, the presidency of James A. Garfield is often reduced to a footnote—a tragic, brief tenure that lasted just 200 days. Yet, historians argue that Garfield, a brilliant self-made man who rose from poverty to the highest office, possessed the potential to be one of the nation’s most transformative leaders. His life was cut short not immediately by an assassin’s bullet, but by the catastrophic medical ignorance of the era.

Garfield was inaugurated in March 1881, arriving with an ambitious agenda focused on healing the wounds of the Civil War and, crucially, dismantling the corrupt Spoils System—the practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs regardless of merit. This reformist stance ultimately sealed his fate.

The Fatal Encounter: July 2, 1881

The attack occurred on July 2, 1881, as President Garfield prepared to depart from the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington D.C. He was on his way to a summer vacation in New England.

The assassin was Charles Guiteau, a delusional and disgruntled lawyer who believed he was owed a diplomatic post—specifically the consulship in Paris—for his minor contributions to Garfield’s campaign. Guiteau, enraged by the rejection inherent in Garfield’s anti-Spoils System stance, fired two shots at the President.

The immediate facts of the shooting:

1. The first bullet grazed Garfield’s shoulder.
2. The second bullet lodged behind his pancreas, but critically, did not strike any vital organs.

Guiteau made no attempt to flee, reportedly stating, “I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts! Arthur is President now!”—referencing Vice President Chester A. Arthur, whom the assassin mistakenly believed would support his political faction.

The Age of Ignorance: The Doctor’s Fatal Probes

While the wound was serious, modern medical analysis suggests the injury itself was survivable. Garfield’s death 79 days later on September 19, 1881, was a direct result of the unsanitary and aggressive medical treatment he received.

At the time, the germ theory of disease, championed by figures like Joseph Lister, was known but widely rejected by the American medical establishment. The lead physician, Dr. D. Willard Bliss, and the team of attending doctors operated under the assumption that the bullet needed to be located and removed immediately, regardless of the risk of infection.

The Contaminated Search

In the hours and weeks following the shooting, the doctors repeatedly probed the wound with unsterilized fingers and surgical instruments. They were attempting to locate the bullet, but in doing so, they pushed bacteria deeper into the President’s body, creating new, infected channels. Garfield’s body was subjected to immense trauma:

• Over a dozen doctors probed the wound.
• They introduced sepsis (blood poisoning) by failing to sterilize their hands or tools.
• They turned a relatively clean wound into a massive, festering abscess that eventually spanned the length of his back.

Alexander Graham Bell’s Desperate Intervention

As Garfield languished, suffering from fever, chills, and rapid weight loss (dropping from 210 pounds to 130), the nation desperately sought a solution. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, offered a glimmer of hope.

Bell had recently developed a device called the induction balance, an early form of a metal detector. He believed he could use the technology to pinpoint the exact location of the lead bullet, allowing for a precise, less invasive removal.

Bell’s attempts, however, were unsuccessful. He tried the device twice, once on July 26 and again on August 1, but could not accurately locate the projectile. The historical irony is that Bell’s device was fundamentally sound, but its readings were confounded by two crucial factors:

1. Dr. Bliss’s interference: Dr. Bliss insisted that Bell only scan the right side of the President’s body, convinced the bullet was there, even though it had traveled to the left.
2. The metal bed: Unbeknownst to Bell, the President was lying on a new mattress supported by steel wire springs, which interfered with the electromagnetic field of the induction balance, rendering the readings useless.

Garfield’s condition deteriorated rapidly, suffering from repeated infections, internal hemorrhaging, and a massive aneurysm that ultimately claimed his life.

The Enduring Political Legacy

While Garfield’s death was a medical tragedy, his assassination had profound political consequences, ultimately achieving the very reform he had sought to implement.

Garfield’s successor, Chester A. Arthur, had previously been a staunch supporter of the Spoils System. However, the public outrage over Garfield’s murder—committed by a man seeking political patronage—galvanized support for reform.

Arthur, perhaps surprisingly, championed the cause, leading to the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. This landmark legislation established the Civil Service Commission and mandated that federal jobs be awarded based on merit, not political affiliation, effectively ending the corrupt patronage system that had dominated American politics since Andrew Jackson.

Key Takeaways: The Significance of Garfield’s Death

President Garfield’s short life and agonizing death serve as a stark reminder of the intersection of political turmoil and medical history in the late 19th century. His story is significant for several reasons:

• Medical Tragedy: It is perhaps the most famous case of presidential death caused by medical malpractice rather than the immediate trauma of the attack. It highlighted the dangerous resistance to antiseptic practices in the U.S.
• Political Catalyst: His assassination directly led to the end of the Spoils System, achieving the core goal of his presidency posthumously.
• Forgotten Potential: Garfield is often cited by historians as a President who, had he lived, might have fundamentally reshaped American governance and race relations, given his strong moral and intellectual background.
• Technological Irony: The failure of Alexander Graham Bell’s induction balance was a result of human error and environmental interference (the metal bed), not a flaw in the groundbreaking technology itself.

Conclusion: A Life of Unfulfilled Promise

James Garfield’s potential, described by some as “remarkable,” was tragically extinguished by a combination of political fanaticism and medical negligence. He entered office as a symbol of intellectual rigor and reform, and his sacrifice, though unintended, forced the nation to confront and correct the deeply entrenched corruption of the patronage system. His legacy is not defined by his brief time in office, but by the profound and lasting reform his death inspired, cementing his place as a pivotal, if often forgotten, figure in American history.