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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House 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 doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. 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 an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. 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 wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, 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 political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law