American Experience: Murder of a President

A profile of the 20th U.S. president, James A. Garfield (1831-81). He's considered one of the most accomplished men to become president and, though in office only a short time, he accomplished quite a bit. He's mostly remembered for his death, however. On July 2nd, 1881, four months after taking office, he was shot twice by a madman. If the wounds themselves didn't kill him, the care he received—including archaic and unsanitary measures—certainly did. He died 79 days later.