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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, including a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

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

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease 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 rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law