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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. 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 wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position 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 executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law