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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud 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 influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law