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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

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 completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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