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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

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

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve 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 wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership 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 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. 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 nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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