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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee 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 political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting 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 executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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