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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. 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 one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his clothing 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