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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“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 short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control 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 stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery 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 greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, 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 emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law