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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. 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 extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

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

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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