About this episode

This episode discusses the motivations and actions of Charles Guiteau leading to the assassination of President James Garfield.

Charles Guiteau was seething. He’d convinced himself that he deserved a political appointment. When he didn’t get one, he placed the blame squarely on President James Garfield’s shoulders. James Garfield was a liar. A cheat. The country would be better off without him! Over time, Charles convinced himself that God wanted him to assassinate the president. So? He bought a gun. He tracked the president’s movements. He shot the President in cold blood. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice Millard The book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman “Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.org “‘As a Matter of Fact, I Presume I Shall Live to be President’”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Garfield’s Assassin” from the National Park Service “Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America,” by Winston Bowman Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts…

People in this episode

Host: Kristin

Topics covered

• assassination
• politics
• history
• true crime
• Gilded Age
• presidential history

Keywords

• Charles Guiteau
• James Garfield
• assassination
• political murder
• Gilded Age
• history
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PBS.org, National Park Service

Books & works: Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President, Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield, Murder of a President, Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America

More episodes of An Old Timey Podcast

• 102: I've Got A Bridge To Sell You · May 6, 2026 · 1h 46m
• 100: Universal Sues Nintendo (Part 2) · April 22, 2026 · 1h 22m
• 99: The Story of Donkey Kong (Part 1) · April 15, 2026 · 1h 18m
• 98: Hachi: The Most Loyal Dog · April 8, 2026 · 1h 31m
• 97: The Great Stink of 1858 · April 1, 2026 · 1h 33m
• 96: Snack Attack: Oreo vs. Hydrox · March 24, 2026 · 1h 46m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the An Old Timey Podcast podcast page.