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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted 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, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

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

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

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

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority 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 “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform 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 exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed 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 achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded 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 college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law