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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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