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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a train station,” reflects one of his family members. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice 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 issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“His possible achievements and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the negative aspect of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the events of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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