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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a prestigious position. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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