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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who assassinated him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the historical period only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by medical malpractice – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: 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 the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. 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 Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his particular brand of madness was false belief. 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 eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an weapon from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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