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Over many years, the heirs of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, starring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the historical period only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by medical malpractice – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his behavior and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the final national leader raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would function as a political representative for multiple terms. He was dedicated proponent of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled 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, delegates, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To placate the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent 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 didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection 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 eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the events of the 1880 election, 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 logic, Guiteau calculated he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an handgun from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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