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For generations, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“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 completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. 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 rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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