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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, 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 dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person 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 resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman won them over. 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 extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection 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 finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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