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For generations, the descendants of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a transportation hub,” reflects one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now inspired a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of President Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a preacher, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His dad perished when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to make funds for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was kind. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by Lincoln to depart military life when he was elected to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for nearly two decades. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the House chamber will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his state colleague John Sherman.

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

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his associate resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was approved. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and physical and psychological abuse. He had been unsuccessful as a lawyer, bill collector, religious figure and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the political contest, he prepared and gave an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had earned a important role. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Attack and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, pulled an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield shouted: “What's happening?” and fell on the station floor. When a {police officer|law