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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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