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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering 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 exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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