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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time 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 jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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