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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

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 parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative 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 remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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