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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with 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 human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement 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 logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law