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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot 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.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, 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, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about 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 central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law