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For generations, the descendants of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his tragic assassination. We understood what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the publication of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's cut-short presidency. The book has now led to a television production titled the historical drama, including an acclaimed actor as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the unstable individual who gunned him down.

The series promises to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the White House during the economic era only to fall victim to its bitter partisan conflicts. His presidency was cut short after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the killings of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a attorney, he was a minister, he was a farmer. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Cuyahoga County 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 dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to make funds for an schooling.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a righteous fight against human bondage and advanced to the officer status.

“When I started researching him, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was innovative for the time. He was compassionate. He was a moral individual and would have been one of our great presidents had he survived.”

Political Career and Shocking Selection

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to depart military life when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a party member for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a matter of justice and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “faction members”, led by an influential figure, who supported a third term for former president, and the “Half-Breeds”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began seeking a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is extremely rare and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's short presidency was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling demanded control over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of port authority. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute became a public battle but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being followed by a psychologically troubled person who represented the dark side of the spoils network. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, financial agent, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was psychologically disturbed and his unique form of delusion was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for significance. 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 finally found a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the drama of the political contest, he prepared and gave an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau calculated he had deserved a high-level government job. He journeyed to DC and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a role for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the train depot, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

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