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Over many years, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against slavery and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law