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For generations, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of President 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 lawyer, he was a preacher, 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.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. 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 multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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