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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect 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 all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

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

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position 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 opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was ratified. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill 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 progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law