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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school 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 ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about 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 major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions 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 presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans 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 occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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