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Over many years, the heirs of the 20th US president shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in historical accounts but, somehow, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the publication of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing 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 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an formal learning.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against forced servitude and rose to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the time. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split 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 close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a compromise. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, 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 unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is very unusual 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 major battle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague 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 faction system and for the improvement efforts over “political control”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a drifter with a record of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that religious calling for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the political contest, 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 logic, Guiteau calculated he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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