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Over many years, the descendants of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also influenced his personality 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 coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen 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 question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

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

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law