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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, 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 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 overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. 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 nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law