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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book 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 shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“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 pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. 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 at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting 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 Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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