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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” explains 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 shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a television production titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now largely forgotten while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and his approach and all the information about him the family carries down with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an formal learning.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against forced servitude and advanced to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist 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.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his clash with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role 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 executive of the United States”. He selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a problem that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law