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For generations, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the killings 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 lawyer, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, 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 ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against slavery and rose to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman impressed them. 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 multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine 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 exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a history of career disappointments, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the drama of the presidential race, 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 reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law