Talk:Charles J. Guiteau

Comments

Excellent article! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.12.96.136 (talk • contribs)

I agree! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lapinmies (talk • contribs)

Me too 206.72.76.5 05:37, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

It says that he died on June 30th, but then it says that he shot Garfield on July 2nd. Can someone fix this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.238.32.244 (talk) 01:50, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

I do not agree. This is a poorly written article. Much of the article is written in the style of a personal attack on Guiteau. There is heavy editorialising. There are missing citations. Also, as an emergency physician, I disagree with the writer's unsupported claim that Guiteau's death was brought about by his doctors "poking and proding" his wound. The infection is far more likely to have been introduced at the moment of wounding. In the pre-antibiotic era such wounds were commonly fatal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.84.105.224 (talk) 11:20, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

Think again, Doc. Better yet, read this: http://www.aintnowaytogo.com/garfield.htm Author calls Garfield's death a case of "monumental malpractice." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.9.5.145 (talk) 17:54, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

This article is a shocking portrayal. It starts with the objective of ridiculing the man and then continues unabated. Surely an unbiased account of his life would be a better article for Wikipedia than the story of Guiteau, the loser. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.101.3.42 (talk) 03:41, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Wait, the penny has dropped, he is French therefore subject to unmitigated bias. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.101.3.42 (talk) 03:43, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

More likely, he's subject to unmitigated bias because he wanted his act to be remembered in history. Despite Wikipedia policy, it's understandable that some would want to discourage other potential murderers with the same attitude. Art LaPella (talk) 04:36, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Not being American, I had never heard of Guiteau though I was aware of this assassination. My knowledge of this man is based on the PBS doc, "Murder of a President". I note the consensus amongst the contributors that he was at best, socially awkward:the sort of person who was likely to be the victim of frequent personal attack in their own lifetime. To that extent, I don't see that this article reflects personal bias, so much as consensus. Just my own opinion, but I also think he was insane.46.7.85.68 (talk) 15:12, 14 May 2016 (UTC)

dead

I´m confused... when is he suposed tio have been killed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.175.27.200 (talk) 00:27, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

References

What are the sources for this page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.151.182.102 (talk • contribs)

Name

What is the pronunciation of his name? It appears to be French; is it "ghee-toe" or "gwee-toe"? --LostLeviathan 00:10, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

• GI-toe. --67.71.56.97 02:00, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
• The standard French pronunciation is "gi-TOE" In addition, I once called the Irvington Public Library in Irvington, NY which was founded in 1902 by Guiteau relative Frederick W. Guiteau, and they prounounce it this way locally.

To quote their webiste [1]

"The land was donated by the Mental and Moral Improvement Society on the condition that the Village always maintain a library or reading room in the building. This space was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, an Irvington resident and renowned art glass designer and craftsman. The library furnishings were donated by philanthropist Helen Gould of Lyndhurst, the daughter of railroad financier Jay Gould. Frederick Guiteau provided funds for the initial collection of books." --Don 01:24, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Phrasing

Changed "him and his defense lawyers," which I believe is a grammatical error to "he and his defense lawyers," unless someone can show that "him and..." is grammatically correct. --LionTamarin

him is correct here as object pronoun -- he is a subject pronoun and would be wrong.

Inaccurate statement

The fact that his poem was eventally set to music and rendered very effective isn't really ironic at all, I think. --67.71.56.97 02:00, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Hey, editor 67.71.56.97, I really liked what you added. I hope you'll stick around and add more to this and other articles. IronDuke 04:54, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Charles Guiteau’s biological parents did not have three children before Guiteau. It is even mentioned by his brother in the trial is there were no children before Guiteau (other than Frances Marie Norton (Scoville at the time) and he would have known of such a thing. However, there were two children after Guiteau who died of infanthood. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JohnAdamsNotQuincy (talk • contribs) 01:29, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

Destination

In Garfield's biography here at wikipedia is stated he wanted to attend a college reunion. however on this one: As President Garfield entered the station, looking forward to a vacation with his wife in Long Branch, New Jersey, which one is correct?--Tresckow 22:19, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

I believe "As President Garfield entered the station, looking forward to a vacation with his wife in Long Branch, New Jersey" is incorrect. I remember reading that he was going to his son's graduation from Williams College in Massachusetts.Don 23:58, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

comment on vocabulary

not everyone has extreme vocabulary, so maybe the words could be less complex? thanks 69.243.202.3 03:13, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Daniel Sickles

Removed reference to Daniel Sickles in the "Trial and Death" section; the two cases have nothing to do with each other beyond both being early attempts to use an insanity defense. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.199.106.23 (talk) 15:34, 5 July 2008 (UTC)

Guiteau's brain

Apparently the Mutter Museum also has his skull and trigger finger. Rees11 (talk) 16:23, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

File:Guiteau cartoon2.jpg to appear as POTD soon

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Guiteau cartoon2.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on July 2, 2010. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2010-07-02. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :) Thanks! howcheng {chat} 17:50, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Picture of the day

An 1881 editorial cartoon of Charles J. Guiteau, an American lawyer who assassinated President James A. Garfield on July 2, 1881. Guiteau, depicted here holding a note that reads "An office or your life!", believed himself to be largely responsible for Garfield's victory, and demanded an ambassadorship in return, but his requests were rejected. Despite the use of the insanity defense in his trial, he was found guilty and executed by hanging on June 30, 1882.Cartoon: James Wales; Restoration: Jujutacular

Popular Culture

In the movie Unforgiven 'English Bob' without stating Guiteau's name says that the name of the person who murdered the President sounds French.70.113.104.17 (talk) 13:12, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Long, Unclear Sentence

I cannot understand a sentence, and would like to ask for clarification. Also, others may have the same confusion, so perhaps it could be phrased more clearly in the article.

"After some time trying to do remedial work in French and algebra at Ann Arbor High School, during which time he received numerous letters from his father haranguing him to do so, he quit and in June 1860[5] joined the utopian religious sect known as the Oneida Community, in Oneida, New York, with which Guiteau's father already had close affiliations."

Was Giteau's father haranguing him to do remedial work in French and algebra, or haranguing him to quit? 71.179.235.118 (talk) 15:39, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

Good question. I had assumed his father wanted him to stay in school, but there's this: "...he took remedial classes while his father sent him Oneida Community literature."[2] That makes it sound like his father wanted him to quit and go to Oneida. Kendall-K1 (talk) 16:02, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

strange juxiposition

I don't see what the first clause of this sentence has to do with the second: "Despite the "group marriage" aspects of that sect, he was generally rejected during his five years there,"

unless there's an assumption that a community practices promiscuous sex should, somehow, be more accepting of strange or troubled people, which should be a patiently false premise.

a woman may be quite promiscuous and still reject this or that man, after all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:18A:8100:9BDA:EC78:92FA:CD01:F670 (talk) 17:23, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

You make a good point, however, you reference "a woman". As far as I can tell, it was not just " a woman" who rejected him but "most women". I think the "Despite" comment is not so much reflecting on a woman's right to be promiscuous and selective, as the fact that MANY promiscuous women were rejecting him.15:56, 14 May 2016 (UTC)46.7.85.68 (talk)

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Kent Kiehl

Kent Kiehl doesn't belong in the lead. It's too trivial, and per WP:LEAD, the lead should summarize the article. I would move it but there isn't really an appropriate section to put it in. Kendall-K1 (talk) 15:10, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

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Panama?

I'm sure I read that Guiteau had wanted to be ambassador to Panama. Is that correct? I don't find any other reference to that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.9.112.135 (talk) 20:08, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

Doubtful. Panama didn't gain independence from Colombia until 1903, long after Guiteau's death. Every source I've ever read indicated that in 1880, Guiteau believed that his work for the Republicans would net him a consul's position in Vienna, and that he later decided to "settle" for one in Paris.

I've also read that in 1872, Guiteau tried to persuade people who knew Democratic/Liberal Republican presidential nominee Horace Greeley to lobby Greeley for Guiteau's appointment to a diplomatic position in Chile if Greeley won the election. Of course, Greeley lost badly, and died soon afterwards, so this became a moot point. The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau: Psychiatry and the Law in the Gilded Age.

Billmckern (talk) 15:52, 4 May 2018 (UTC)

Gitout

Why was he called Gitout and why is it not explained in the article?! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.160.236.29 (talk) 16:17, 2 January 2019 (UTC)

It's self-evident. A commune of people who practiced free love wanted nothing to do with him, and said so by turning his name into a play on words.

Billmckern (talk) 18:17, 2 January 2019 (UTC)

It's not self-evident by those of us that have English as third-language; heck, is it because it's a play on the words "Get out" or? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.160.236.29 (talk) 12:39, 3 January 2019 (UTC)

I'm sold. I made an update to the text to add "get out" and added a reference to support it.

Billmckern (talk) 13:43, 3 January 2019 (UTC)