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Throughout history, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was cut short after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. 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. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental 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 officials, demanding to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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