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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

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, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, 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, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law