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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money 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 entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. 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 beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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