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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and President 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 religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade 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 extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage 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 executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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