Charles Julius Guiteau was born on September 8, 1841, in Freeport, Illinois. He had a troubled upbringing and was known to be erratic, arrogant, and mentally unstable from an early age. He briefly joined the utopian Oneida Community in New York but was later expelled. Guiteau studied theology, law, and even tried preaching, but he failed in almost every career path he pursued, including being a lawyer and a bill collector. He often plagiarized religious and political texts, republishing them under his name.

Delusional and obsessed with self-importance, Guiteau believed he had a divine mission. He became fixated on politics during the 1880 presidential campaign and wrongly convinced himself that his pamphlet supporting Garfield played a key role in the president’s win.

On July 2, 1881, Guiteau approached President James A. Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., and shot him twice — once in the arm and once in the back using .44 British Bulldog revolver.

Garfield did not die immediately. He lingered in pain for 79 days as doctors attempted to treat his wounds, often making them worse due to poor medical practices at the time. Ultimately, Garfield died on September 19, 1881, from infections caused by the bullet wounds.

Guiteau was quickly arrested at the scene and taken into custody. His trial began in November 1881 and became a media spectacle. He acted erratically in court, delivered poetic monologues, insulted his lawyers, and claimed he was merely the instrument of God’s will — insisting that the doctors, not he, had killed the president. His insanity plea was rejected.

On January 25, 1882, Guiteau was found guilty of murder. He was hanged on June 30, 1882, at the District of Columbia Jail. His final words were bizarre and theatrical, including a recited poem.