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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed 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 progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers 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 beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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