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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution 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 internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative 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 Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion 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 was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting 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 Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law