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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is 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 defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. 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 events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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