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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd 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 faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection 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 at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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