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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law