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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, 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 presidential control over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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