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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by 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 ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements 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 never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring 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 excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law