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For generations, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now resulted in a television production titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy 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 incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln 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 dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed 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 insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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