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For generations, the heirs of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, 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 family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. 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 an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a history 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 specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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