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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address proposing 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 surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments 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 nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start 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. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law