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Throughout history, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. 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 route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — 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 Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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