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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, 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 unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. 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 at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law