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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. 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 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield overcame the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a record of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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