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Throughout history, the descendants of James Garfield discussed openly about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a train station,” notes one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in historical accounts but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which generated attention in Garfield's unfinished life. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, featuring a talented performer as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to shine a light on Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the historical period only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His tenure was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by doctor errors – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy continue to intrigue the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in challenging conditions. An insatiable reader, Garfield found employment on vessels to generate income for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became leader of an institution in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against slavery and progressed to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for 17 years. He was dedicated proponent of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment 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 topic was very important to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began looking for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a wave of backers made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the general election Garfield beat the opposing candidate to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“His possible achievements and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was pushed toward it.”

The major battle of Garfield's short presidency was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the influential position of customs official. Garfield declined, 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 conflict turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a public failure, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the executive authority over the political organization and for the improvement efforts over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a psychologically troubled person who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a unstable individual with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and early life difficulties. He had not succeeded as a lawyer, bill collector, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was false belief. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had financially a better start than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau could not accomplish anything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had earned a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau appeared suddenly, withdrew an weapon from his clothing and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law