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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his violent end. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his living relatives. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the highest office during the historical period 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 doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a previous schoolmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

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

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a solution. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe unique to the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of professional failures, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had failed as a legal professional, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Swept up in the events of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a important role. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “Why is this occurring?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law