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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

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 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers 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 only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance 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 college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law