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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “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 wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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