The second President of the United States to be killed by an assassin was James A. Garfield, the last one from a log cabin.
In 1881, James Garfield was unexpectedly elected President of the United States.
He was well aware that he was about to face an extremely complex political situation, and he had no choice but to find balance among various political factions.
Forming the cabinet was extremely difficult, and he once painfully complained in his diary: "Those seasoned, office-seeking individuals presented their job applications to me as if drawing pistols in a robbery."
Sure enough, he ultimately could not escape the dangerous hands of job-seekers.
After taking office, Garfield frequently received letters from a lawyer named Charles J. Guiteau, who requested to be appointed consul in Paris, France.
Garfield referred the matter to the Secretary of State, but the Secretary replied that a suitable candidate had already been chosen.
