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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame 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 extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

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

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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