Assassination of James A. Garfield Assassination of James A. Garfield The assassination of James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, began when he was shot at 9:30 am on July 2, 1881, less than four months into his term as President, and ended in his death 79 days later on September 19, 1881. He was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., and died in Elberon, New Jersey. Guiteau's motive was revenge against Garfield for an imagined political debt. Charles Guiteau turned to politics after failing in several ventures, including theology, a law practice,
Charles J. Guiteau convinced that his actions were divinely inspired, and that his destiny was to "preach a new Gospel" like Paul the Apostle. Guiteau then obtained a law license in Chicago; however, he was not successful as a lawyer. He argued only one case in court, the bulk of his business being in bill collecting. His former wife later detailed his dishonest dealings, describing how he would keep disproportionate amounts from his collections and rarely give the money to his clients. He next turned to theology. He published a book on the subject called "The Truth" which was almost entirely plagiarized from