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For generations, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the issuing of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was truncated after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an event now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and everything that we know about him the family carries down with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the military position.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was remarkably smart. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been an outstanding leader had he survived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the completion of a military promise.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the faction was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield beat the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered 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 approved. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Gunman and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a record of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, financial agent, preacher and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a route to achievement: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the presidential race, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a important role. He went to the capital and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, produced an handgun from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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