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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, 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 shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law