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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The major battle 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 powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed 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 route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

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

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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