Who was Charles Guiteau?

• A. The mentally unbalanced stalwart officer who assassinated Garfield
• B. A cartoonist who exposed Tweed
• C. A reformer who fought graft
• D. A journalist who wrote about parties

Answer: (A)

Charles Guiteau is the man known for assassinating President James A. Garfield in 1881. He was mentally unbalanced and believed Garfield’s death would advance his own political aims, especially in getting a government appointment he sought. He shot Garfield in Washington, D.C., and Garfield died weeks later; Guiteau was afterward tried and hanged in 1882. This fits best because the description centers on the person most famously tied to Garfield’s assassination and on his unstable state at the time. The other descriptions point to different historical figures—such as a cartoonist who exposed Boss Tweed (Thomas Nast), or roles as a reformer or journalist—so they don’t match Guiteau.