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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, 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 God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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