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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, 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 backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

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 gunman was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

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

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law