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Throughout history, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a streaming series titled the historical drama, including Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His tenure was truncated after only half a year not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

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

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the negative aspect of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On 2 July 1881, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law