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Throughout history, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his extraordinary achievements but seldom discussed his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which revived interest in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now inspired a television production titled the presidential series, featuring Michael Shannon as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to succumb to its bitter partisan conflicts. His time in office was truncated after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a legal professional, he was a minister, he was a agriculturalist. He was all of these things which also shaped who he was and his approach and all the information about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in difficult circumstances. An voracious learner, Garfield labored on waterways to make funds for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, 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 a large family. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was remarkably smart. He was extremely courageous. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was caring. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by President Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the Congress, where he would work as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of African American voting rights, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a military promise.

“His oration on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an impressive communicator and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the political organization was sharply split between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a continued leadership for former president, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a supporter of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration supporting Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, representatives, what do we want?” to which a attendee unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the surprise nominee. To placate 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 defeated the rival politician to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Short Presidency and Power Struggles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he hadn't campaigned aggressively. It's not that he had entirely ignored the possibility but he was thrust into it.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's short presidency was his clash with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling demanded control over government appointments in New York, particularly the influential position of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He selected a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a visible struggle but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a background of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, debt recovery agent, minister 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 more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield succeeded and advanced, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had finally found a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he wrote and delivered an insignificant speech, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau determined he had deserved a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

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