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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the president and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, 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 conflict turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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