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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

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

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important 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 additional presidency for military hero, 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 stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law