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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle 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 influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post 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 several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law