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Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his impressive career but rarely mentioned his untimely death. We understood what had happened, that he was shot in a transportation hub,” notes one of his family members. “We learned about the story in publications but, for various reasons, we just passed over it quickly.”

Renewed Attention in a Overlooked Leader

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. The book has now resulted in a Netflix drama titled the historical drama, starring a talented performer as the national leader and his co-star as the unstable individual who shot him.

The series seeks to illuminate Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the economic era only to fall victim to its toxic political divisions. His tenure was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the killer's weapon but by doctor errors – an tragedy now largely forgotten while the assassinations 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 attorney, he was a religious leader, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and the complete story about him the descendants preserve with us.”

From Humble Beginnings to the Presidency

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was 18 months old, leaving his mother, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was entered the clergy, became president of Hiram College 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 ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against human bondage and progressed to the officer status.

“During my investigation, I was astonished. He was absolutely brilliant. He was extremely courageous. He was innovative for the period. He was kind. He was a moral individual and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by Lincoln to leave army service when he was chosen to the House of Representatives, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the realization of a conflict agreement.

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

At the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the huge assembly was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a solution. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, delegates, 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 placate the Stalwart faction, another politician, a Conkling loyalist from New York, was chosen as his second in command. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician 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 extremely rare and maybe unique to the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling insisted on authority over government appointments in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the presidential authority”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The conflict became a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his colleague quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the presidential control over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “boss rule”.

The Assassin and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield confronted influential people of his party, he was being stalked by a psychologically troubled person who exemplified the dark side of the patronage system. Charles Guiteau was a drifter with a record of professional failures, psychological problems and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a legal professional, bill collector, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his particular brand of madness was delusion. He always believed that divine selection for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a route to achievement: politics. Carried away in the events of the presidential race, he created and presented an minor oration, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and relentlessly pestered Garfield, Blaine and other authorities, demanding to be made the foreign service officer — a position for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited 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 educational gathering. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

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