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For generations, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the drifter who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect 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 everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments 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 nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

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

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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