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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, 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 appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, 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 became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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