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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war 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 fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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