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Over many years, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a party member for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was deeply divided between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. 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 voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare 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 disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement 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 psychologically troubled person who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

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