Trial Of Charles Guiteau
James A. Garfield’s assassin Charles Guiteau was officially charged with murder on the night of January 12, 1882. Guiteau grew up a conflicted man changing careers often and failing at them all. He eventually became very political and frustrated with the government and developed an obsession with President Garfield, after Ulysses S. Grant failed to secure the nomination1. He believed that he was responsible for Garfield's victory in the 1880 presidential election due to a speech he gave at a small campaign rally, and he felt that he deserved the job as the Paris Consulate as a result1. When Garfield refused to appoint him to a position in the government, Guiteau became angry and irrational. Then on July 2, 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield twice in the back.
The trial began on November 14, 1881, in front of Judge Walter Cox. Guiteau’s only reasonable defense was to claim insanity, as his family had a history of mental illness, but as much as his lawyers pleaded, Guiteau insisted on representing himself and offering bizarre legal claims of his own2. Although the only question up for debate was his sanity. Traditionally, the claim for insanity must be met with the question, “did the defendant know his actions were criminal,” but they had begun to use the more liberal, “did the defendant know his actions were wrong” question by the 1880s2. This debate of what constitutes legal insanity is still highly debated and this trial is the cornerstone of the argument to this day.
1Bellamy, Jay. 2016. “A Stalwart of Stalwarts.” National Archives. November 7, 2016. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/fall/guiteau.
2Christianson, Steven G. n.d. “Charles Guiteau Trial: 1881 - Was Guiteau Insane?” Law.jrank.org. https://law.jrank.org/pages/2666/Charles-Guiteau-Trial-1881-Was-Guiteau-Insane.html.