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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the historical period only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to leave army service when he was elected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield beat the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of professional failures, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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