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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history 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 unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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