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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” reflects one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which revived interest in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now resulted in a streaming series titled the historical drama, including a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the drifter who shot him.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an event now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was all of these things which also influenced his personality and his behavior and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in the Midwest in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an formal learning.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he married a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the era. He was compassionate. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was persuaded by Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. 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 36th ballot, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed 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 insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. 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 selected a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The gunman was a wanderer with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that religious calling 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 at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had earned a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the transportation center, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an handgun from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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