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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. 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 confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed 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 succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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