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For generations, the family members of James Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We studied the story in publications but, somehow, we just glanced over it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The publication has now led to a television production titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and his co-star as the drifter who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His time in office was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by physician mistakes – an incident now frequently ignored while the deaths of President Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president coming from pioneer roots in the Midwest in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to earn money for an formal learning.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, 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.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he would work as a political representative for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a conflict agreement.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will affect you emotionally. He was an remarkable speaker and this matter was very important to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the national vote Garfield defeated the opposing candidate to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Power Struggles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a public battle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was confirmed. It was a significant win for the presidential control over the political organization and for the change movement over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the political appointment process. Charles Guiteau was a unstable individual with a history of professional failures, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an minor oration, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a role for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an handgun from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

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