Guiteau and Politics.

Quick note: It's been too long since my last post but summer came callin' and we went travelin'. It's my intent to get back to my two posts per month.

How Guiteau came to be “involved” in Republican politics is the ten-thousand-dollar question. There is no discernible quality or trait evidenced in his past or with his past dealings that would in any way suggest he had one scintilla of political insight or skills necessary to succeed in 1880 politics. His presence in New York in 1880 during the presidential campaign placed him in a hot bed of Republican politics. He apparently thought, by large degree, his perceived skills, whatever they may have been, could be of great assistance to the Republican cause. But how he even came to have an interest in Republican politics is unknown. The speeches he made to those unlucky enough to be conned into listening to him did not provide any mastery or elementary understanding of Republican policies. Despite his self-proclaimed notoriety, his name was not known across political circles by any measure other than those who were familiar with his name or were unfortunate to come into contact with him, like former-President Grant, who had the dubious experience of twice meeting Guiteau in his room at the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City, the first time to have Grant sign a form recommending Guiteau for the Minister of Austria and the second time, after being told to not return, when Guiteau wormed his way into Grant’s hotel room only to be kicked out by Grant. His continued and failed attempts for political appointment in Washington, as well as his continued defrauding of boarding houses, only cements his axiomatic legacy as a crazed man who was most assuredly suffering from a severe mental health issue or several mental health issues. For him to seek political appointments by the State Department and President, and with no discernible skill or trait necessary for the job, combined with his own self-aggrandizement only scratches the surface in making sense of what was really going on inside his head when he conjured up the idea to assassinate Garfield. It’s really a fascinating subject to try and understand because the case of Guiteau and how he became involved in Republican politics, the last stop on his crazy-town train, doesn’t make any sense. Booth, Czolgosz, and Oswald (minus the conspiracy theories) all had clear motivations that connect to their past behavior, making it easier to understand why they shot their respective presidents. But Guiteau-it’s a mystery. His father disowned him, he was committed to an insane asylum, he continually defrauded boarding houses and customers, he cheated on his wife to give reason for her to divorce him, he somehow became a lawyer, he turned theologian, and then culminated his life experience as an upstart political hack. The only consistent theme throughout his adult life is there was no consistency. And therefore, it’s difficult to make sense of his actions that led to the death of President Garfield, a most unlucky man.