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Throughout history, the heirs of President Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his tragic assassination. “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, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Forgotten President

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to shine a light on Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to become a casualty to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only 200 days not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the deaths of the Civil War president and John F Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was all of these things which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to support a large family in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against human bondage and rose to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to resign his military commission when he was elected to the Congress, where he would serve as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

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

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield rejected, 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 conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a public failure, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a landmark victory for the presidential control over the faction system and for the change movement over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the patronage system. The gunman was a unstable individual with a history of career disappointments, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, minister and member of a unconventional group.

“He was mentally ill and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the drama of the 1880 election, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a prestigious position. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the diplomatic representative — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Doctor Errors

On that fateful day, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, withdrew an handgun from his jacket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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