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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money 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 previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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