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For generations, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly 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 family members. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, including a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, 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 internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post 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 selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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