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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law