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For generations, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law