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Over many years, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his impressive career but avoided talking about his violent end. “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” reflects one of his family members. “We learned about the story in books but, somehow, we just passed over it quickly.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now inspired a streaming series titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the president and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who assassinated him.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its deep political rifts. His presidency was cut short after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by physician mistakes – an event now frequently ignored while the killings of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and his approach and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was just a toddler, leaving his mother, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He learned legal principles, was entered the clergy, became head of a school in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“During my investigation, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was fearless. He was innovative for the era. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Government Service and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a political representative for multiple terms. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber 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 party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech proposing Sherman caught their attention. 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 extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the shocking choice. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the national vote Garfield beat the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is remarkably uncommon and maybe particular about 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 defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over government appointments in New York, particularly the prestigious role of port authority. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He selected a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague left their positions 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 improvement efforts over “boss rule”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being followed by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the patronage system. The gunman was a drifter with a history of career disappointments, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a lawyer, financial agent, preacher and member of a alternative community.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, demanding to be made the US consul in Paris — 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 four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his college reunion. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law