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For generations, the family members of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his impressive career but avoided talking about his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was assassinated in a railway depot,” notes one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in publications but, in one way or another, we just glanced over it.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This transformed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The publication has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring a talented performer as the president and his co-star as the unstable individual who assassinated him.

The series seeks to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His presidency was truncated after only 200 days not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the deaths of Abraham Lincoln and President Kennedy continue to captivate the public.

“It's impossible not to respect what he did. He was incredibly versatile: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also shaped who he was and how he was and the complete story about him the relatives maintain with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Highest Office

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief coming from pioneer roots in Cuyahoga County in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his mom, Eliza, to care for multiple kids in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an schooling.

He learned legal principles, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he married a previous schoolmate, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have a large family. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the national conflict as a holy crusade against slavery and rose to the military position.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was remarkably smart. He was fearless. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was compassionate. He was a decent human being and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was strong supporter of black suffrage, viewing it as a question of fairness and the realization of a conflict agreement.

“His oration on the legislative arena will tear your heart out. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was fundamentally fractured between the “Stalwarts”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a backer of his state colleague John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, delegates began seeking a middle ground. Garfield's impassioned speech nominating Sherman won them over. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield defeated the rival politician to become the unique incumbent of the House ever to be elected president.

Truncated Term and Political Battles

“Garfield's potential greatness and what is extremely rare and maybe unique to 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 major battle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling demanded control over federal patronage in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield rejected, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation became a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Facing a embarrassing loss, Conkling and his associate quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a landmark victory for the power of the presidency over the party machine and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Killer and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being pursued by a disturbed and delusional man who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The assassin was a unstable individual with a history of occupational setbacks, mental instability and physical and psychological abuse. He had not succeeded as a legal professional, financial agent, religious figure and member of a unconventional group.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for greatness. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the drama of the presidential race, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became certain in his thoughts that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau determined he had merited a important role. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Shooting and Doctor Errors

On the tragic date, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his alumni event. As he moved through the transportation center, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield shouted: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the station floor. When a {police officer|law