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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. 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 “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great 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 completely dismissed it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 executive of the United States”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman 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 dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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