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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the historical period only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, 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 overcame the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. 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 selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. The gunman was a drifter with a record of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law