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Over many years, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We read about the story in publications but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This shifted in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring an acclaimed actor as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his approach and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“The address he delivered on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Government Conflicts

“His possible achievements and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, debt recovery agent, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his particular brand of madness was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection 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 way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had earned a important role. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he passed through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield shouted: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law