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For generations, the family members of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who rose from poverty to the White House during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was cut short after only half a year not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader 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 challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a holy crusade against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was innovative for the period. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he survived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would function as a political representative for 17 years. He was strong supporter of African American voting rights, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“The speech he gave on the floor of Congress will move you deeply. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this topic was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the faction was fundamentally fractured between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration proposing Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was forced into the role.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield refused, 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 open fight but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Assassin and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who represented the problematic element of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, debt recovery agent, minister 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 greatness. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a position for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his jacket and shot the president twice in the back.

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