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For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage 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 executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC 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 Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months 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 clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law