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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“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 central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague 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 political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law