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Over many years, the family members of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died 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 learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, 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 surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for 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 short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, 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 emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law