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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of Abraham 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 agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the patronage system. The assassin was a unstable individual with a record of career disappointments, emotional issues and early life difficulties. He had failed as a lawyer, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and collapsed on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law