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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield spoke proudly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the killings 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 religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also formed his character and how he was 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 the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. 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 the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness 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 thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital 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 Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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