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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. The assassin was a drifter with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, 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 earned a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law