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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin 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 negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. 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 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved 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: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law