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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now resulted in a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and JFK 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 agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he lived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the Congress, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was very important to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon 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 pushed toward it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his junior senator left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He went to the capital and constantly harassed Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had inadequate skills. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he passed through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and collapsed on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law