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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only half a year 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 fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was 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 born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter 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 solution. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

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 insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law