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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law