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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate 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 land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. 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 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat 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 particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman 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 represented the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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