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Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring 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 Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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