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For generations, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series promises to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: 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 descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

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

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the party machine and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, 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 significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law