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Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer 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 succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate 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 all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, 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 powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

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 wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

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

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law