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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member 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 floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

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 exemplified the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the events of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited 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 college reunion. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law