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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, representatives, 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 surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon 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 forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law