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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against slavery and progressed to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, 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 advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine 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 mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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