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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “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 rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about 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 major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who represented the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher 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 route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law