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For generations, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln 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 agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

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

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. 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.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

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

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, 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 banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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