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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law