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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions 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 worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, 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 unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements 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 federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring 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 Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law