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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion 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 issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon 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 pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning 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. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

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

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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