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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now resulted in a television production titled the presidential series, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the military position.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, 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 unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative 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 entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a record of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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