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Throughout history, the family members of James Garfield shared stories about his extraordinary achievements but avoided talking about his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a railway depot,” explains one of his living relatives. “We studied the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Revived Interest in a Forgotten President

This changed in 2011 with the release of a presidential biography, which revived interest in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now resulted in a streaming series titled the presidential series, featuring an acclaimed actor as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who rose from poverty to the highest office during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an incident now mostly overlooked while the killings of President Lincoln and JFK continue to captivate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was multiple professions which also influenced his personality and how he was and all the information about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Rising from Poverty to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader coming from pioneer roots in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an schooling.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against forced servitude and advanced to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the time. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Government Service and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was persuaded by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was selected to the legislative branch, where he would work as a party member for nearly two decades. He was strong supporter 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 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 a powerful politician, who supported a third term for military hero, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a supporter of his close associate John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was stalled between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's emotional address proposing Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “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 surprise nominee. To appease the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his running mate. In the presidential race Garfield overcame the Democratic nominee to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be selected for the highest office.

Short Presidency and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual 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 pushed toward it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “if the commander-in-chief should be registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He proposed a political foe of Conkling to the post.

The dispute escalated into a public battle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Facing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the political organization and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who represented the problematic element of the spoils network. The assassin was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, bill collector, preacher 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 significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Swept up in the excitement of the political contest, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was personally instrumental for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had earned a prestigious position. He journeyed to DC and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, insisting to be made the foreign service officer — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On the tragic date, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was traveling from DC for his educational gathering. As he walked through the train depot, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an handgun from his jacket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield cried out: “What's happening?” and collapsed on the station floor. When a {police officer|law