← Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast
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Welcome to Civics and Coffee, a history podcast. The show all about United States history delivered to you in the time it takes to enjoy your morning cup of coffee. I'm your host, Alicia, a historian trained in United States history with a passion for telling both the known and unknown parts of America's past. So grab your coffee and get ready for some bite sized history. To General Sherman, I have just shot the President. I shot him several times as I wished him to go as easily as possible. His death was a political necessity. I am a lawyer, theologian and politician. I am a stalwart of the stalwarts. I was with General Grant and the rest of our men in New York during the canvass. I am going to the jail. Please order out your troops and take possession of the jail at once. Charles Couteau, 1881 hey everyone, welcome back. When I was in the early stages of laying out what topics and people to explore for the Gilded Age, I asked you dear listeners, for some feedback on what topics I should cover. Longtime listener and supporter of the show, Sarah shared that one of her top choices was the infamous presidential assassin, Charles Guiteau. I've teased a little of Guiteau in my coverage of James Garfield, but I held back on the details so that I could do a deep dive into the man who, either because of anger, mental illness, or a combination of both, altered the course of American history. If you know the headlines, then you have likely heard of the caricature of Guiteau, a man who, after being rejected from a civil service appointment in the Garfield administration, chose to take vengeance against the President who failed to give him a chance. Of course, beyond the headline is a much more nuanced and complicated story. Charles Guiteau was a man focused on revenge in yes, but what caused the rage behind that revenge and how Guiteau chose to act on the vengeance illustrates the shortcomings of mental health treatment during the Gilded Age and the dangers in failing to appropriately care for individuals who clearly showed signs of having tenuous grasps on reality. It also shined a bright light on one of the dangers of patronage and contributed to significant movements on civil service reforms like Garfield. There is more to Charles Guiteau than one might expect. And so, dear listeners, you're in for another double feature. This week I am starting my coverage of the life of Charles Guiteau. How did he grow up, how did he get into law, and when did he get drawn into politics? Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let's do this. Charles Guiteau was a man who was always felt like he was destined for greatness. Born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1841, tho was a sickly infant and an overactive child. His mother, Jane, was an invalid who died when Charles was just 7 years old, and the young boy was raised by his father, who was said to be quite harsh and firm with his discipline. Even as a young boy, however, Guiteau never lacked confidence, in fact, displaying a, quote, offensive egotism, end quote, that he never developed any friendships. At 19, Guiteau attempted to go to college, only to become disillusioned and turned towards theology. The young man eventually found comfort in the Oneida community, a Christian religious society located in central New York that was known for its untraditional beliefs. Members who subscribed to the Oneida way of life, believed in perfectionism and practiced a concept known as communalism, where residents shared property and entered into spiritual marriages with multiple partners. To outsiders, this was known as free love, and it worked for Guiteau, at least for a while. He lived in the Oneida community for about six years, entering into three spiritual marriages and working among the community. Before long, however, Guiteau's abrasive personality became too much to bear, and the toxic mix of his peculiar nature and egotism led the women of the community to reject him. This meant that Guiteau was basically living a celibate lifestyle. Yet despite these rejections, and in perhaps a sign of things to come, Guiteau managed to convince himself that he was actually destined to become the next leader of the Oneida community. His dreams of grandeur did not stop there. Guiteau also believed that after becoming the leader of Oneida, he was then meant to become president of the United States and then somehow ruler of the world. So convinced of his own delusions that Guiteau shared these ideas publicly. Facing ridicule at the Oneida community's nightly free criticism sessions in April 1865, Guiteau decided that that the religious community did not support him in the manner he deserved and only intended to make him work. And thus he departed for New York City. In his version of events, Guiteau's mission was not to give up the Oneida lifestyle, but to carry the gospel to larger audiences by establishing a newspaper. The idea of creating a periodical had been previously considered by Oneida leader John Humphrey Noyes, But Guiteau would insist on claiming singular credit for the idea, saying, quote, I say boldly that I claim inspiration. I claim that I am in the employ of Jesus Christ and company, the very ablest and strongest firm in the universe, the paper never got off the ground. Guiteau next tried to blackmail members of the Oneida community, threatening to expose their lifestyle and how, quote, nightly innocent girls and innocent young women are sacrificed to an experience easier imagined than described. End quote. This, too, went nowhere. Deciding New York City was not to his liking, Charles Guiteau headed west to Chicago, where he began studying law. I should mention that studying law is doing a lot of work here, as Guiteau did not go to law school, but in instead apprenticed briefly with a practicing attorney. And as historian Alan Peskin describes, quote, standards of admission to the Illinois bar were not particularly rigorous. Guiteau was asked three or four questions, answered more than half correctly, and was entitled to call himself a lawyer. End quote. For a man of Guiteau's inflated ego and deteriorating mental health, becoming a lawyer was not exactly a great decision. It is believed that he argued exactly one case before a jury, a petty larceny case that was considered straightforward, open, and shut. Yet the new lawyer made it a much larger issue. Again, from historian Alan Peskin. For the better part of an hour, he screamed and rambled incoherently, raving of God and the rights of man and shaking his fist at the jurors, who then hastily convicted his client without even bothering to leave the jury box. End quote. After such a poor courtroom performance, Guiteau switched to debt collection. He did okay in the beginning, but poor business practices made repeat business hard to come by. And by 1871, he had exhausted his Chicago connections and decided to head back to New York City. It was around this time that Guiteau also met and married Annie Bunn, a librarian who worked at a local YMCA that Guiteau frequented. Bun was drawn to the young lawyer due to his piety. He had no vices. He did not drink, smoke, or swear. And he appeared to be a man of deep faith, as he was a regular at prayer meetings. Yet once they were married, Bun saw a new side. If she questioned or contradicted her husband, Bun risked being locked out of the house or locked in an unheated storage closet. Bun also quickly learned that while Guiteau may not have indulged in many vices, he was not exactly an ethical man, and they frequently bounced from boarding house to boarding house, usually to avoid paying their bill. When Bun asked her husband about why he was being so deceptive in his actions, Guiteau indicated simply that the world owed him and he planned on collecting one way or another. In 1872, Guiteau's obsession turned to politics, he spoke in favor of Horace Greeley's candidacy, and despite his work hardly being noticed, Guiteau nevertheless convinced himself that he had been a critical part of the campaign and that if elected, he would be rewarded with a premium position within the administration, perhaps as a minister to Chile. Guiteau is quoted as once telling an associate, if I cannot get notoriety for good, I will get it for evil. When asked to clarify exactly what he meant by such a statement, Guiteau darkly foreshadowed, well, I will shoot some of our public men. Horace Greeley was unsuccessful in his presidential bid, and thus Guiteau never had his chance to demand a position within that administration, and in 1873, his marriage ended when he contracted syphilis from a sex worker. Things continued to go south for Coteau in 1874, when he lost his debt collection business as a result of an article in the New York Herald highlighting his fraudulent schemes. Without a way to make muddy and refusing other menial work, Guiteau bounced from hotel to hotel, never paying his bill, before he was finally arrested and forced to spend a in the New York City jail known as the Tombs. He was eventually bailed out by his sister Frances and her husband, George Scoville, and brought back to live with them in Wisconsin. It was while living with his sister in Wisconsin that Couteau's mental health troubles became clear as he attacked her with an axe. Worried about her brother's safety and sanity, as well as the safety of others, Francis tried to get Charles committed, but he fled for Chicago before she was able to finalize the order. Still feeling like he was meant for a higher purpose, Guiteau next focused his attention on writing a book titled the A Companion to the Bible. It was basically a plagiarized version of another book, the Barine, but nevertheless, Guiteau tried to sell his edition for 25 cents a copy of. When the book failed to become a bestseller, Guiteau decided that his calling was to become a traveling preacher. Calling himself the Little Giant from the West, Guiteau gave lectures and sermons on everything from Paul the Apostle to the Second Coming. He spent three years on the road, but eventually decided that there was little money in theology and returned his attention to politics. In 1880, just in time for the presidential election, Guiteau Updated his original 1872 Greeley speech to incorporate the anticipated nominee, Ulysses S. Grant. When Garfield surprised everyone as the nominee, Guiteau made a few more edits tailored to the new candidate. He handed out pamphlets of his speech to anyone he came into contact with, Hoping to convince party insiders to let him speak on behalf of garfield's candidacy. Stalking party headquarters, Guiteau managed to run into and convince vice presidential candidate Chester a. Arthur to allow him to give his remarks in front of a very small crowd of supporters. In Guiteau's mind, his speech was a critical moment of the Garfield campaign, and when Garfield eventually won the election, Guiteau convinced himself it was a result of his oratory. Thus, Guiteau expected to be rewarded handsomely. He sent a copy of his speech to the president elect, Writing, quote, next spring, I expect to marry the daughter of a recently deceased New York republican millionaire, and I think we can represent the United States government at the court of Vienna with dignity and grace. There was, of course, no heiress. After the inauguration, Guiteau learned that the Austria post was already spoken for and shifted his sight to a post in france. To ensure his position, Guiteau traveled to the nation's capital and was in line at the White House. On March 8th when he met the president, Guiteau again produced a copy of his speech and wrote paris consulship at the top of the page. Now all he had to do was wait. When he inquired about the status of his post, Guiteau was informed that his application was routed to the state department. Undeterred, Guiteau went to follow up with secretary of state James blaine, Catching him in an elevator, where he again produced a copy of his speech and explained that he was the man seeking a post to Paris. Guiteau even tried to draft a petition to apply pressure to the president and the secretary of state to get movement on his position. No one would sign. Like a dog with a bone, Guiteau shuffled back and forth between the White House and the state department, Seeking an update about his post. While he was often outright denied entry at the state department, Representatives at the White house told Guiteau that the president was unable to see him today. And for someone like Guiteau, who had a tenuous hold on reality, the language choice mattered. Guiteau did not understand or chose to ignore that he was being gently brushed off. In his mind, the president was a busy man and that while he could not be seen today, there was a chance that Garfield could see him the following day. And so Guiteau kept showing up for weeks and months, Focused on securing the government position. Guiteau had no other means of making money. His appearance became shabby, and his clothes grew to be quite filthy. By may, after two months of doggedly pursuing his appointment, Guiteau had lost patience. He got into a scuffle with a White House usher and was prohibited from the grounds. He followed this up with an argument with the Secretary of State, who barred Guiteau from asking about the consulship ever again. Guiteau was beside himself. In his mind, James Garfield had only been elected due to his speech. All he wanted in return was a consulship. How could the President be so ungrateful? The following week, the resignations of New York Senators Roscoe Conkling and Thomas Platt over the battle with the President hit newsstands. A seed had been planted in Guiteau's mind. Maybe everything would be better if the President was simply gone. But for that, dear listeners, you'll have to wait for the next episode. Who knew that Charles Guiteau would provide such a rich and interesting life history? Be sure to come back next week to learn all about Guiteau's meticulous plans to murder the President, the crazy trial that followed, and how his actions altered American political life. My thanks to Sarah for suggesting a deep dive into Charles Guiteau. As per usual. I learned so much diving into the rabbit hole and I'm always so impressed by my listeners requests and here is a great place for me to remind you all that you too can submit your requests. I've covered some incredible topics to date thanks to all of you, including the history of World's Fairs, HH Homes and the Dakota 38. So keep them coming. And before I sign off today, I want to welcome the newest member of the Patreon Addy. Welcome. I'm so excited to have you. If you didn't know, Civics and Coffee has a grown up edition over on Patreon. We where for less than a cup of coffee these days you get access to the bonus series Civics and Cocktails. It's a looser, more laid back version of Civics and Coffee where I invite a few friends over and we chat about a historical topic while sipping a cocktail. There have been some quirky episodes such as our look at the decision to enlist school children into killing squirrels during World War I, and some darker and more serious episodes, including last year when we discussed the Oklahoma City bombing. So if you want to get more history content in your life and you have $5 a month that you can part with, come join me. I will include the information for the Patreon in the show, notes for the episode, and of course information about how to join and other ways you can support the show is always available on the website over at www.civicsandcoffee.com thanks peeps. I'll see you next time. Thanks for sitting down with me as I explored this chapter of American history. If you liked what you heard, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends. I look forward to our next cup of coffee together.