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Charles Guiteau
Aug. 14th, 2008 09:40 pmThere aren't a whole lot of famous people that came from my town. But here's one, and he's not even someone most of you have heard of. Charles Guiteau lived in this house, from the age of nine to fourteen.
Charles Guiteau was the guy who shot president Garfield.
He was quite a character. After failing to get into the University of Michigan, he joined a religious sect, where he was disliked. He obtained a law license in Chicago, but generally failed at it. He published a (plagiarized) book. Finally, Guiteau's interest turned to politics. He wrote a speech in support of Ulysses S. Grant called "Grant vs. Hancock", which he revised to "Garfield vs. Hancock" after Garfield won the Republican nomination in the 1880 presidential campaign. Ultimately, he changed little more than the title (hence mixing up Garfield's achievements with those of Grant). The speech was delivered at most two times, but Guiteau believed himself to be largely responsible for Garfield's victory. He insisted he should be awarded an ambassadorship for his vital assistance. His personal requests to the President and to cabinet members (as one of many job seekers who lined up every day) were continually rejected; on May 14, 1881, he was finally told personally never to return by Secretary of State James G. Blaine.
Guiteau then decided that God had commanded him to kill the ungrateful President. He borrowed fifteen dollars and purchased a revolver, with which he shot president Garfield at a train station. After a long, painful battle with infections brought on by his doctors poking and probing the wound with unwashed hands and non-sterilized instruments, Garfield died, eleven weeks after being shot. Most modern physicians familiar with the case state that Garfield would have easily recovered from his wounds with medical care that was available even 20 years later. At his trial, Guiteau argued "The doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him", which was more than a little true. He was hanged on June 30, 1882 in the District of Columbia. On the scaffold, Guiteau recited a poem he had written called "I am Going to the Lordy." He had originally requested an orchestra to play as he sang his poem, but this request was denied.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Guiteau
Charles Guiteau was the guy who shot president Garfield.
He was quite a character. After failing to get into the University of Michigan, he joined a religious sect, where he was disliked. He obtained a law license in Chicago, but generally failed at it. He published a (plagiarized) book. Finally, Guiteau's interest turned to politics. He wrote a speech in support of Ulysses S. Grant called "Grant vs. Hancock", which he revised to "Garfield vs. Hancock" after Garfield won the Republican nomination in the 1880 presidential campaign. Ultimately, he changed little more than the title (hence mixing up Garfield's achievements with those of Grant). The speech was delivered at most two times, but Guiteau believed himself to be largely responsible for Garfield's victory. He insisted he should be awarded an ambassadorship for his vital assistance. His personal requests to the President and to cabinet members (as one of many job seekers who lined up every day) were continually rejected; on May 14, 1881, he was finally told personally never to return by Secretary of State James G. Blaine.
Guiteau then decided that God had commanded him to kill the ungrateful President. He borrowed fifteen dollars and purchased a revolver, with which he shot president Garfield at a train station. After a long, painful battle with infections brought on by his doctors poking and probing the wound with unwashed hands and non-sterilized instruments, Garfield died, eleven weeks after being shot. Most modern physicians familiar with the case state that Garfield would have easily recovered from his wounds with medical care that was available even 20 years later. At his trial, Guiteau argued "The doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him", which was more than a little true. He was hanged on June 30, 1882 in the District of Columbia. On the scaffold, Guiteau recited a poem he had written called "I am Going to the Lordy." He had originally requested an orchestra to play as he sang his poem, but this request was denied.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Guiteau
