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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would work 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 wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law