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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law